Founded in 2021, IMVA is a platform that showcases Irish Visual Art on a global scale through Virtual Reality environments. With its burgeoning community of artists, IMVA connects artists with creative professionals through networking at collaborative events.
An active supporter of equality, diversity and inclusion, IMVA also facilitates education in the use of Virtual Reality (VR) equipment and navigation of VR environments, enabling artists, creators and visitors to explore immersive creative spaces and appreciate contemporary creativity.
While IMVA has explored Augmented Reality (AR) through past events, we are actively examining the integration of AR and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for future projects.
Futuropia
A vibrant Virtual Reality (VR) showcase of contemporary Irish art where creativity meets cutting-edge technology. Launched on Culture Night 2023 by IMVA founder Daithi Magner in collaboration with Visual Art Curator Jacinta Moore, this exhibit featuring the work of 22 innovative Irish artists at home and abroad, presents innovative works of art that combine art and technology. This case study offered IMVA a unique exploration of how Irish artists are enhancing their creativity with modern innovations, marking an exciting new era for art through the fusion of traditional techniques and technology. The exhibit which is hosted on Spatial.io can be accessed through mobile or desktop devices, or via QR code.
Artificial Horizons: Echoes of the AI Canvas
On Culture Night 2024, IMVA held an event to showcase their Virtual Reality (VR) art exhibition which featured a series of paintings by Hennessy Portrait Prize winner, Irish artist Gerry Davis. This collection of work, questioned the authenticity of AI generated art versus traditional painting. As Davis became more familiar with the results of AI image generation and the speed at which the finished products were presented, the technology grew less desirable to him and reaffirmed his initial question of authentic versus spurious, and the satisfaction gained from everyday painting compared to the imagery produced from Generative AI models. The exhibition space was designed and curated by Jacinta Moore.
Artscapes: Bridging the physical into the virtual
This was an innovative project by Creative Futures Academy (CFA) Fellowship Award winners, IMVA Director, Daithi Magner and 4e Virtual Design founder, Sean Burns.
The project which took place in 2024, focused on merging physical art with virtual technologies such as 3D scanning, Augmented Reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI). The project transformed static artworks into dynamic digital forms, creating immersive experiences that redefined artistic expression while providing new tools for artists. One highlight of the project, was the successful 3D scanning of final-year students exhibition work, which received positive public feedback. The project combined traditional methods, such as sketches and physical models, with advanced digital tools like Blender, Inkscape, and CamTrackAR. Workshops were led by Sean Burns and introduced techniques for integrating physical objects into 3D environments, fostering collaboration and exploration.