SCISSOR Sisters frontwoman Ana Matronic will discuss how robots are reshaping the world in a festival showcasing how research at a Scottish university can “change lives for the better”.
The DJ will join artists and academics in discussing possible relationships between humans and machines as part of Festival Of The Future at the University of Dundee.
The five-day festival will explore what can be achieved when those working in science and technology come together with artists and creatives.
Visitors will have the opportunity to crack a crime conundrum with forensic scientists, act as members of a jury, learn how to upcycle old clothes and discuss the challenges of living on Mars.
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Among the other big names appearing are veteran TV presenter Johnny Ball, who’ll talk about his new book Wonders Beyond Numbers, economist Paul Mason, Lowborn author Kerry Hudson, former Makar Liz Lochhead and comedian Phill Jupitus.
Jupitus, who is based in Fife, will compere a night of stand-up featuring potential household names of the future.
“Our big theme this year is social change,” says festival programmer Emma Beatt, a cultural projects officer at the university.
“That idea was present as we spoke with academics about their research and how we could partner with arts organisations to develop that work while making a festival that’s really public-facing and accessible.”
Neurologists from the university have been working with members of Dundee-based Scottish Dance Theatre to chart their brainwaves as they learn new dance moves.
Over the weekend of October 18 and 19, the dancers will present performances in events featuring discussions with academics on what the collaboration can teach us about the brain activity of dancers and audience members.
Expect more dancing on the evening of October 19, when Ana Matronic plays a DJ set at V&A Dundee following her participation on the robot discussion panel.
Matronic, who is author of Robot Takeover: 100 Iconic Robots of Myth, Popular Culture and Real Life, will visit the landmark design museum ahead of the opening of its forthcoming major exhibition Hello, Robot in November.
A very different account of the effect of technology on humans will be given the same evening at the festival’s Bonar Hall hub when Paul Mason presents A Radical Defence Of The Human Being.
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The economist will explore the need for humancentric institutions and for the right to resist control by algorithms.
“As well as partnering a high profile celebrity like Ana Matronic, who I’m a bit of a fan of, with specialists within our science and engineering departments working around AI and robotics, we’re trying to balance that with some of the authors we’re bringing to the festival,” says Beatt.
“Someone like Paul Mason is great to have as he gives the other side of the argument. He’s saying that in this rush for technology we are in danger of being taken over by it, that there’s a need to come back to the human side of things and ask what we really want.”
Beatt adds: “We’re challenging perceptions and talking about things that are really cutting-edge and which are sometimes challenging. But I don’t think there’s any point in shying away. We’ve got to discuss these things.”
Discussion and collaboration is central to many festival events with talks and workshops on the future of mental health care, social justice and a live theatre workshop at Dundee Sheriff Court where participants will assess evidence in a murder trial and reach a verdict.
“It’s about how we respond to different kinds of evidence, say on paper or via technology,” says Beatt, who has been a “jury member” at a practice session earlier this year.
She adds: “You feel you have to take it very seriously as you could potentially have a huge impact on the outcome. It gives you an experience which is as true to life as possible of what it’s like to be a member of a jury deciding whether the person is guilty or not guilty.”
Events for families and children include performances of theatre shows Slug and The Whirlybird and Mars Odyssey, an all-ages interactive show exploring the red planet.
Big social and environmental issues are explored in a series of lunchtime debates looking at the future of criminal justice and human rights, the future of social care and how to create a fairer, more sustainable future for people living in the city.
Speakers in the criminal justice and human rights debate, which takes place on the opening day of the festival, include academics from the fields of social science, forensics and dentistry, a field with a long reputation for excellence at the university.
“We have an academic called Ruth Freeman who has been working with prisoners around their oral health,” says Beatt. “It’s exceeded expectations, not just in terms of better oral health but also ideas of things like coaching and working together.”
Beatt says the Festival Of The Future aims to bring together people who may not be the “usual suspects”.
“People may be surprised about some of the things coming out of work at the university,” she says. “Lots of researchers do amazing work but they are behind closed doors and they don’t talk about it. “The festival is about telling those stories and showing how creative collaborations can help change people’s lives for the better.”
October 16 to October 20, Bonar Hall, University of Dundee and venues around the city, various times and prices. Tel: 01382 386995. www.dundee.ac.uk/festival-future
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