Irish artist Alan Butler has unveiled his most ambitious exhibition to date, "Assets," at Dublin's Green on Red Gallery, where he transforms invisible digital forces into tangible artistic experiences that challenge the foundations of modern capitalism. The show runs through December 12th and represents a sophisticated merger of cutting-edge technology with pointed social commentary about economic inequality and environmental destruction.
Butler, recognized as one of Ireland's most technologically advanced artists, doesn't merely create traditional artworks but constructs what he calls "imaginaries" – complex systems of representation that expose the hidden mechanisms underlying 21st-century digital economies. His work focuses on making visible the virtual realities that drive advanced economic systems, revealing the intricate connections between ecological disasters and predatory financial practices.
The centerpiece of the exhibition features four technologically complex installations that respond to real-time global data. "Pneuma," a modular artwork, emits specific frequencies whenever million-dollar Bitcoin transactions occur worldwide. These sound waves vibrate a horizontal plate covered with sand, creating constantly shifting patterns that are then captured by sensors and transformed into holographic displays projected onto rotating rotor blades.
Another striking piece, "Thanatophone," consists of a cluster of small directional speakers that twist and pivot throughout the gallery space, directing focused sound beams toward different locations. Each movement corresponds to real-time heat spikes occurring somewhere on Earth, while a connected spectroscope simultaneously generates images of endangered plant species from the affected regions. This installation creates a haunting audio-visual representation of climate change's immediate impact on biodiversity.
The exhibition's impact extends beyond mere technological spectacle, functioning as what critics describe as contemporary alchemy that transforms invisible forces into visceral experiences. Visitors witness in real-time two of civilization's most pressing concerns: the lightning-fast flow of digital wealth and currency exchanges, alongside the slow-burning inevitability of environmental crises. Butler's sophisticated engineering and computer programming skills rival those found in major tech companies, marking him as potentially Ireland's most technologically proficient artist.
Butler also explores the architecture of gaming and simulation software through a series of large 3D-printed sculptures that resemble geological formations. These works derive from complex computer algorithms called Tessendorf waves, which simulate the constantly changing surfaces of ocean waves. The sculptures represent the intersection between natural phenomena and digital recreation, questioning how virtual simulations increasingly shape our understanding of reality.
Beneath the explicit technological themes, Butler addresses what he views as the dangerous corporatization of the internet by glossy advertising platforms operated by social media giants. This commercialization has overshadowed the internet's original anarchic vision of free, open-source, and internationally cooperative data sharing. His exhibition argues that only by returning to these foundational principles can society resist forces seemingly determined to exploit both human users and natural resources.
The "Assets" exhibition ultimately suggests that technology itself isn't inherently harmful, but rather how it's deployed by predatory capitalist systems that prioritize profit over environmental and social welfare. Butler's work offers a glimpse of alternative technological futures where digital tools serve collective benefit rather than concentrated wealth accumulation, presenting both a critique of current systems and a vision for more equitable technological applications.
