Creative Futures Academy and Beta Festival announce free taster sessions – offering insights into cutting-edge courses

Creative Futures Academy (CFA) are joining forces with Beta Festival, to launch a new workshop series, Teaser Sessions, at The Digital Hub in Dublin – giving creative individuals the chance to explore a selection of the skills-based courses CFA are currently offering in IADT and NCAD.

Through these free taster sessions, running in November, participants will gain crucial hands-on experience in the area of their choice, providing them with a deeper insight into rapidly expanding industries, which will help inform their next professional step.

A groundbreaking partnership between NCAD, UCD, and IADT, CFA provides short, part and full-time accredited courses in flexible, hybrid formats for practising artists and creative professionals looking to upskill in arts, media and design.

Beta, meanwhile, is a new festival of art and technology that aims to explore the impact of emerging technologies on society. The 2024 edition of the festival takes place in Dublin from November 1-17.

The Teaser Sessions, presented by CFA in partnership with Beta, include:

Intro to Digital Making (NCAD)
Saturday, November 2: A hands-on digital-making workshop. Participants will be tasked with creating quick 3D-printed "tools for well-being", for a range of public spaces.

Getting Started with Building in the Metaverse (IADT)
Monday, November 4: A two-hour interactive workshop delving into the Metaverse – exploring what it is, how it's reshaping digital spaces, and its impact on various sectors.

Build a Cellular Automaton (IADT)
Tuesday, November 5: Participants in this hands-on workshop will get to build/customise their own version of a cellular automaton – a system based on simple rules that evolve over time, and generate complex patterns.

Sustainable Exhibitions (NCAD)
Wednesday, November 6: This workshop is geared towards artists, curators and cultural workers wanting to affect and implement climate solutions within their practices, studios and exhibition infrastructures.

Art and Design Research (NCAD)
Wednesday, November 6: Get a fascinating insight into the Research for Artists and Designers courses currently being offered by NCAD and the CFA. Participants in this workshop are invited to join the Research Ethics Board of Beta Festival to review a number of fictional but plausible applications by artists seeking ethics approval.

Basic Electronics to Enhance Your Art and Design Practice (IADT)
Thursday, November 7: Delve into the constantly expanding area of electronics for creativity in this two-hour workshop.

Introduction to UX and UI Design (IADT)
Friday, November 8: Dive into the fundamentals of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design, through a live demonstration of the design process.

Mapping Data (IADT)
Wednesday, November 13: This workshop will introduce participants to the fundamentals of mapping data. An open source framework will be introduced, allowing participants to create digital interactive maps.

Intro to Creature and Character Digital Sculpting (IADT)
Thursday, November 14: This workshop will demonstrate the digital sculpting techniques used to create creatures and characters for film FX and games – featuring an overview of the process from sketch concept to finished digital creation

NCAD Graduate Lara Jacob. Photo: Julien Behal Photography

These Teaser Sessions will take place in the evenings, from 6-8pm. They are free to attend, but will have limited capacity. Tickets are available now.

Visit the CFA website to learn more: creativefuturesacademy.ie/news/teaser-sessions-cfa-x-beta-festival