Nokia Bell Labs has been around for 90 years and during that time, some illustrious artists have collaborated with it.
Speaking on stage at Inspirefest 2017, Sligo native Domhnaill Hernon recalled how Nokia Bell Labs president Marcus Weldon asked him to move to New Jersey, bringing his family’s deep, musical connection with him to the US.
This connection between science, technology, engineering, maths and art (STEAM) is something the research company has been exploring for the past 90 years, Hernon said, having previously collaborated with the likes of graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg and composer John Cage to create new art forms.
But, for Hernon, merging technology with art requires much more than just creating a new piece of kit. It needs something that resonates in a totally new way with a person or audience.
“There has to be a deeper connection between technology and the human, and technology really has to enable better things for human,” he said.
Words by Colm Gorey
