2035 ai Project

Bagenalstown Family Resource Centre / Creative Places Bagenalstown

2035 is a collaborative digital installation by Paul Byrne, developed with the Nifty Fifty group at Bagenalstown Family Resource Centre. Created over a series of workshops in spring 2025, the project brought together a group of older adults to explore themes of peace, serenity and connection through the lens of emerging AI technologies. Participants generated ideas, imagery and narratives rooted in personal reflection, which were then shaped into a cohesive moving image work. The resulting piece offers a quiet, hopeful vision of the near future, informed by lived experience and a shared desire for calm within an increasingly fast-paced world.

At its core, 2035 is a participatory artwork that prioritises accessibility, authorship and inclusion. The process invited participants to actively engage with AI tools, from developing prompts to shaping the emotional tone of the work, challenging assumptions around age and digital creativity. Presented as a public installation in the windows of a disused shop in Bagenalstown, the work reactivates a familiar local space while embedding contemporary digital art within the everyday life of the town. Commissioned by Creative Places Bagenalstown and delivered in partnership with Bagenalstown Family Resource Centre, 2035 reflects a model of socially engaged practice that brings together community, technology and place to create meaningful cultural experiences.