AI, Design & Cultural Heritage: Reimagining the Past Through the Machine

Presented by BETA Festival, French Tech Dublin, the French Embassy in Ireland and Institut français as part of Irish Design Week and Novembre Numérique, in association with The Digital Hub and Alliance française Dublin.

How can artificial intelligence help us reconnect with our cultural heritage? Taking Tabula, c-album’s design-led reimagining of Notre-Dame’s visual identity, as a starting point, this panel explores how contemporary designers are using AI as both a creative and interpretive tool. From rethinking sacred architecture to decoding visual archives, the discussion considers how machine learning reshapes our understanding of authenticity, symbolism and collective memory. As algorithms increasingly participate in acts of preservation and design, what does it mean to entrust cultural identity to computational systems?

There will be demos of the Notre-Dame VR Experience from 1pm to 6pm, followed by a wine reception after the discussion — with additional opportunities to experience the VR showcase.

The discussion is part of a wider programme presented by the French embassy in Ireland as part of Irish Design Week. Read more here: https://ie.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/irish-design-week-tabula-new-visual-identity-notre-dame-de-paris

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*Participants: Dr Lisa Griffith, Laurent Ungerer, Raphael John, Helen Sheridan, David Bruckert*

*C-ALBUM

is an independent creative agency, specialized in graphic design, which for 30 years has been working with major players in the worlds of culture and the arts - Musée Picasso, Comédie Française, Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre Pompidou, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Fondation Louis Vuitton, etc. - as well as strong projects linked to architecture and lifestyles. Committed, the agency favors a research and experimental approach over stylistic reflexes and well-trodden paths. It designs and produces bold, demanding proposals, born of the encounter between complex know-how.*

Dr Lisa Griffith is Director at the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI), a national repository that provides long-term preservation and access for Ireland’s Culture, Heritage, Humanities and Social Science collections and data. She is a historian by training and has a PhD in History from Trinity College Dublin. Lisa’s areas of interest include Digital Preservation, Open Research infrastructures, research data and Irish history. Lisa is a Co-Chair for the iPRES steering group (the global digital preservation conference). Digital Repository of Ireland is the coordinating body for Ireland’s National Open Research Forum, and Lisa works closely with NORF. In 2024 Lisa was chair of the NORF PID (persistent identifier) Strategy Taskforce. She is currently looking at the impact of AI bots on Open Access repositories and wrote DRI’s AI statement.

*LAURENT UNGERER,

born in Germany in 1962, he entered at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 1980, and continued his studies at the Glasgow School of Art and then at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. After ten years working as a project manager for graphic designer Jean Widmer, he founded his own design agency, c-album, in 1996, focusing on the creation of visual identities in the cultural field. In 1991, he was appointed as a professor at the Parson’s School of Art in Paris and then at the École des Arts Décoratifs in the graphic design department, where he remained until 2024. In 2020, Ungerer’s agency , c-album, was commissioned to create the new visual identity for Notre Dame de Paris following the devastating fire.*

*RAPHAEL JOHN

is a designer and graduate of the École des Arts Décoratifs (2014), specializing in design products. With a strong sensitivity to materials, deep knowledge of fabrication techniques, and a keen understanding of spatial design, he brings a thoughtful approach to every project.

He joined the design agency c-album in 2016 and became a partner in 2021. Over the years, Raphaël has developed extensive experience in signage and wayfinding, notably for sensitive heritage contexts. His work includes the historic L’Oréal headquarters, and the new visitor experience at the French National Assembly (with Moatti et Rivière architecture studio).*

*HELEN SHERIDAN

Helen Sheridan is a lecturer and researcher at TU Dublin’s School of Computer Science and with a background spanning over 26 years in design, her work sits at the intersection of design, technology, and ethics. Her research explores human-centred explainable AI (HCXAI), examining how visual and interaction design can make AI systems more understandable, transparent, and fair. Drawing on collaborations with artists, designers, and technologists, Helen’s projects reimagine how we see and engage with AI, from workshops that challenge stereotypical images of AI to prototypes that test new forms of AI explanation. She advocates for ethical, creative, and human-led approaches to designing with and for AI.*

*MC: David Bruckert (French Tech Dublin)

David Bruckert (French Tech Dublin) is currently Sales Director at Microsoft Ireland, where he leads a team responsible for promoting artificial intelligence and workplace solutions to major clients in Germany and France. He previously managed commercial teams serving the mid-market segment and French startups, also within Microsoft. Before joining the tech industry, David spent 15 years in executive leadership roles in the artistic and cultural sector in France. Most notably, he served for seven years as Secretary General of the Institut du monde arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris, where he oversaw the institution’s strategic, organisational, and digital transformation, and led a team of 150 employees. Since September 2025, he has also served as a Board Member of the Alliance Française Dublin.*

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