Community Portrait: Reprint Revolution Symposium

Tuesday 14 January 2025 | 13:30-17:00

The Higgins Bedford
Castle Lane, Bedford, MK40 3XD

Free | Booking required

A symposium to explore AI and community image creation: questioning the reimagining and reinterpretation of community images and the dramatic shift from traditional methods of photography.

There is a lot of hype around AI – everyone is taking about it. It’s like the Wild West, we don’t have set standards. People should question what they are seeing, and be aware of the whole problematic nature of it. This is the future we’re heading towards, so let’s be a bit more critical and informed about it.
Arnab Chakravarty | AI Artist

Join us for expert talks and panel discussions exploring topics: bias in algorithms, future visualisation, fair representation, and AI as a progressive tool in arts and culture. Speakers include John Whall and AI artists Fergus Laidlaw and Arnab Chakravarty.

The symposium is part of our Community Portrait exhibition which features over 200 portraits of Bedford locals taken by local school-age children, Bedford College students, community groups and professional photographers, creating a ‘Community Portrait’ of the town. It explores the history of photography from 1840s glass-plate techniques, through to current digital techniques, and onwards towards to a potential future involving AI. The exhibition launched on 28 September 2024 and will run until 23 February 2025, at The Higgins Bedford.

Light refreshments available from 13:30. Symposium begins at 14:00, with networking and drinks afterwards.

We will be offering vegetarian refreshments as part of our bid to be more sustainable.