From Heritage to Innovation: First ImmerseHER cohort begins at DkIT
A new cross-border project bringing together Irish textile heritage and immersive technology has welcomed its first participants, with an induction day held at Dundalk Institute of Technology on Friday 21 August.
ImmerseHER brings together a diverse and international group of young women who will spend the coming year co-creating digital and physical artworks rooted in Irish cultural heritage. The induction was deliberately analogue — a day of visual brainstorming, idea generation and a busy mark-making session, giving participants a chance to get to know one another before the technology comes into play.
The first bootcamp follows shortly, with the group co-creating an augmented reality quilt. Participants will screen print onto Irish linen and use AR to layer storytelling over the finished textiles, drawing on Irish textile heritage and traditional motifs.
Over the course of the year, the group will also create a 360° heritage film exploring cultural memory and industrial heritage; a Living Heritage installation combining plants, textiles and sound; and a VR world and digital fashion collection inspired by Irish heritage textiles.
"This will give young women the opportunity to develop digital skills for the creative industries, build their confidence and, most importantly, make new connections — to their heritage, to new ways of storytelling, and to their own future pathways. I am really looking forward to seeing their creativity."
— Jackie Toal, ImmerseHER project lead, DkIT
ImmerseHER is a PEACEPLUS Changemakers project funded by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). It is a cross-border partnership led by Dundalk Institute of Technology and WheelWorks Arts.
