Events

We offer open and participatory events that showcase interdisciplinary work and impact and spark ideas, inspiration and debate. 

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Utopia Lab: Futures Dreaming

Project Room (1.06), 50 George Square 50 George Square, Newington, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Our Utopia Labs are ‘no-spaces’, places where everyone is welcome to join us in dreaming futures that inspire our experience of the present. In this session invited speakers will present visions of their Utopia, which we will (individually or in groups) respond to by creating our own artistic and creative mini-Utopias.

Free

It’s All About the Feelings…

Inspace 1 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

A creative research project led by Beverley Hood, an artist and Reader in Technological Embodiment & Creative Practice at the University of Edinburgh, featuring actor, Pauline Goldsmith. How does sentiment recognition technology actually work and how accurate is it? This performance will reveal how emotional AI databases actually work, behind the smoke and mirrors.

Free

Galvanised: Big Mind – Collective Behaviour and Collective Intelligence

Playfair Library Hall Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Virtual Event Virtual Event

This Galvanised seminar addresses the opportunities that collective behaviour and collective intelligence may offer for addressing a wide range of social and political issues. In keeping with the dual science/arts theme of Galvanised, the seminar will be presented by a biological scientist and a social and political scientist. 

Free

Technomoral Conversations: Technologically Mediated Intimacy

Inspace 1 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Virtual Event Hybrid Event

Technomoral Conversations is a “fireside chat” series organised by The Centre for Technomoral Futures. This event will focus on our relationships with machines, from robot pets and therapeutic companions to apps for dating and romance, to technologies embedded in our bodies.

Free

Catharsis In the Age of the Metaverse

Inspace 1 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The rise of Virtual, Augmented, and Extended Reality (AR/XR) with their applications urge us to investigate whether “catharsis” is still conceivable, in hybrid or entirely artificial environments; and how a reconfigured concept of “catharsis” can be envisioned as part of the co-evolution of human, natural, and artificial life forms.

Free

Antagonistic Sextet: A Performance by Raw Green Rust

Inspace 1 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Virtual Event Hybrid Event

Raw Green Rust are an improvising laptop trio that make abstract glitch-dub that draws on wide ranging musical interests and interconnectedness. For this event, the trio will perform as an ‘Antagonistic Sextet’ with and against their own performance history.

Free

The New Real Salon: Exploring the Future of AI and the Arts

Inspace 1 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Virtual Event Hybrid Event

The New Real’s research team and newly commissioned artist will present insights into what is happening in this area and new work currently in development using The New Real Observatory Platform, an unboxed AI tool created with and for artists.

Free

Text & Data Analysis SUMMER SCHOOL 2023

The Summer School is an intensive, 5-day, in-person event, with a heavy practical focus. It consists of two simultaneously run streams: A Gentle Introduction to Coding for Data Analysis, and Text and Data Analysis in the Wild. Find out more about each stream and which best suits your needs below.

Economics of Financial Technology Conference

The Economics of Financial Technology conference, organised by the Edinburgh Futures Institute and the University of Edinburgh Business School, brings together academics, policymakers, and finance professionals to share new insights and discuss the critical issues related to the application of technology to the practice of finance in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Doors Open Day at South College Street

South College Street 13-15 South College Street, Edinburgh

Take a tour of the South College Street building during Doors Open Day.

Human-Centric Finance

Inspace 1 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Fintech companies are constantly innovating and developing new products and services. However, while many of the technological solutions are user-centred, they are not necessarily human-centred. They typically focus on process, user experience and scalability, but often neglect the deeper needs, emotions, instincts, and social factors that impact people's financial wellbeing. This event challenges fintech leaders ... Read more

Sounding the Ice Factory

West Court, Edinburgh College of Art 74 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh

Michael Begg presents work undertaken with People Ocean Planet, Marine Alliance of Science and Technology in this seminar presentation.

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Power trip event season event flyer

POWER TRIP

Our Autumn 2023 programme of events explored leadership in all its forms – from the seats of power to the front lines of activist movements and even in our own workplaces.

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Love Machine event season digital flyer

Love machine

Our Spring 2023 programme of events explored the interconnections of AI and data with humanity through conversations, performances, and workshops.

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First Breath Autumn Event Season brand leader. Image of dandelion and umbrellas on orange background. Text reads: 'First Breath: Autumn Event Season'. Includes Edinburgh Futures Institute logo.

First Breath

Our Autumn 2022 programme featured more than 20 events exploring crisis, migration, displacement and equality coalescing around the theme of Climate Justice.

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"The production and intellectual content of your recent events has been fantastic! Thank you for the opportunity to attend and learn. This is probably the best event I have been to all year."

Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023

"Really, really impressed with Futures Institute events. Properly impressive speakers, and seamless technical management. Thank you for keeping them hybrid/online – it's a really nice way to keep in touch!"

Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023

"Amazing! I hope that Utopia Lab can ring in every event season, the dream space that you curate and allow to flourish is an important and novel lens that Edinburgh Futures Institute offers partners, students, staff, researchers and anyone with an interest in collaborative thinking and doing."

Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023

Our public events seasons are co-created with people from across the University of Edinburgh. If you'd like to contribute ideas for the programme please contact the events team.

Call for proposals

Meet the events team

Headshot of Alice Carr

Alice Carr

Events Co-ordinator
Headshot of Fraser Pringle

Fraser Pringle

Project & Events Administrator
Headshot of Ioannis Kalkounos

Ioannis Kalkounos

Programme Manager
Lewis Williams

Lewis Williams

Events Technician

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