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English, Media and Creative Arts

Dr Paul O' Neill

BA, MSC. MA, PhD

Contact Details

Lecturer
Lecturer - Contract Type B
School of English and Creative Arts
University of Galway
E: Paul.ONeill@universityofgalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Paul O' Neill is a lecturer with the Huston School of Film & Digital Media. He previously completed a practice-based PhD in the School of Communications at Dublin City University. His PhD project focused on the role of critical media artists in communicating issues associated with contemporary algorithmic culture to diverse publics and audiences. Following completion of his PhD research, Paul joined the ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Media Technologies (University College Dublin) as a postdoctoral researcher.

Paul's current research is concerned with our collective dependency on networked technologies and infrastructures from the perspective of critical media art and related practices. His research has been featured in publications from the Institute of Network Cultures and ANNEX - Ireland's representative at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale. He has also exhibited and presented his work at galleries and institutions nationally and internationally, including the Glucksman (Ireland), Ars Electronica (Austria), NeMe (Cyprus), Onassis Stegi (Greece) and SAW (Canada) and he has undertaken residencies at the Media Archaeology Lab (University of Colorado Boulder) and as part of the European Media Art Platform (EMAP) Programme. 

Paul previously worked as a researcher and curator with Science Gallery Dublin and as research lead for the Beta Festival of Art & Technology. He is currently an academic collaborator with the ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Media Technologies and a member of the Centre for Creative Technologies. Paul is also co-curator of the Dublin Art & Technology Association (D.A.T.A) and the English editor of Neural Magazine of Critical Digital Culture and Media Arts. 

Research Interests

Critical Media Arts; Practice-based Research; Digital Activism; Tactical Media; Critical Internet Infrastructures and Histories; Ireland & `Big Tech'; Amazon Web Services (AWS); Data Centre Studies; Internet of Military Things; Environmental Impacts of ICTs; Media Archaeology as an Art Methodology; Hacking Culture & Communities; DIY & Critical Making; Remix; Open Source Intelligence & Creative Practice; Artificial Intelligence & Creativity; Internet Governance (WhoIs Database & IPv4 Exhaustion)

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2022) 'Confronting the Regionalism of Amazon Web Services'
Patrick Brodie & Paul O' Neill (2022) 'Confronting the Regionalism of Amazon Web Services' In: Amazon: At the Intersection of Culture and Capital. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing. [Details]
(2021) 'Network States: A Tour of Dublin's Digital Ecosystem'
Paul O' Neill (2021) 'Network States: A Tour of Dublin's Digital Ecosystem' In: States of Entanglement: Data in the Irish Landscape. New York & Barcelona: Actar Publishers. [Details]
(2019) 'Towards a Critical Tactical Practice: Subverting the Black Boxes of Amazon Web Services in Dublin'
Paul O' Neill (2019) 'Towards a Critical Tactical Practice: Subverting the Black Boxes of Amazon Web Services in Dublin' In: The Critical Makers Reader: (Un)Learning Technology. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2024) Techne logos, Care and the (Neg) Anthropocene, European Culture and Technology Lab+
Paul O' Neill (2024) Critical Voices: Contemporary Media Art Practice and Communities of Care Techne logos, Care and the (Neg) Anthropocene, European Culture and Technology Lab+ [Details]
(2018) After Post-Truth: Interface Politics Conference
Paul O' Neill (2018) Towards a Critical Tactical Practice: Archaeologies of Manifestoes and Making . In: Grup de Recerca en Disseny i Transformació Social (GREDITS) & Design College of Barcelona eds. After Post-Truth: Interface Politics Conference [Details]

Other Journals

  Year Publication
(2023) 'Greetings from'
Paul O' Neill (2023) 'Greetings from' You Are Here: Journal of Creative Geography - Counter/Cartographies, . [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2024) Archiving Care,
Paul O' Neill (2024) Critical Resource: The WhoIs Protocol as an Archive of the Internet. [Oral Presentation], Archiving Care, NeMe Media Arts Centre, Cyprus , 01-SEP-24. [Details]
(2023) SpaceX Rise Symposium,
Paul O' Neill (2023) Countermapping the Cloud. [Invited Oral Presentation], SpaceX Rise Symposium, National College of Art & Design, Dublin , 05-MAR-23. [Details]
(2023) Synthetic City,
Paul O' Neill (2023) We are all going to make it: Countermapping the 'Cloud' in Ireland & Cyprus. [Oral Presentation], Synthetic City, Dublin City University , 01-JAN-23. [Details]
(2023) Political Studies Association,
Paul O' Neill (2023) From EU West One to the Internet of Military Things: Ireland, Amazon and the Question of Neutrality. [Oral Presentation], Political Studies Association, University of Liverpool , 03-MAY-23. [Details]
(2023) Connecting New Media (P)Arts,
Paul O' Neill (2023) (i)sland. [Oral Presentation], Connecting New Media (P)Arts, Onassis Stegi, Greece , 09-MAR-23. [Details]
(2023) European Culture and Technology Lab+,
Paul O' Neill (2023) Critical Voices: Contemporary Media Art Practice and Communities of Care. [Conference Paper], European Culture and Technology Lab+, Technological University Dublin , 18-JAN-23. [Details]
(2022) Digital Art in Ireland,
Paul O' Neill (2022) Platform Protocol Place. [Invited Oral Presentation], Digital Art in Ireland, University College Cork , 03-JUN-22. [Details]
(2022) Association of Internet Researchers,
Paul O' Neill (2022) A Walking Tour of Dublin's Internet Infrastructure. [Other], Association of Internet Researchers, Technological University Dublin , 02-NOV-22. [Details]
(2021) Zoom Obscura,
Paul O' Neill (2021) For Ruth & Violette. [Invited Oral Presentation], Zoom Obscura, University of Edinburgh (Online) , 28-APR-21. [Details]
(2019) Ascend:Artistic Strategies for Engagement with Data,
Paul O' Neill (2019) Countermapping Dublin's Internet Infrastructure. [Invited Oral Presentation], Ascend:Artistic Strategies for Engagement with Data, National College of Art & Design, Dublin , 29-AUG-19. [Details]

Artwork

  Year Publication
(2021) A Counter-Map of Dublin's Internet Infrastructure.
Paul O' Neill & Ann Kiernan (2021) A Counter-Map of Dublin's Internet Infrastructure. SYSTEMS, Science Gallery Dublin Artwork [Details]

Newspaper Articles

  Year Publication
(2018) On Dublin, Amazon and the `Secret Region'.
Paul O' Neill (2018) On Dublin, Amazon and the `Secret Region'. Dublin: Dublin InQuirer Newspaper Articles [Details]
(2018) Underwater Cables Leave Ireland Tangled - and Implicated - in the Internet.
Paul O' Neill (2018) Underwater Cables Leave Ireland Tangled - and Implicated - in the Internet. Dublin: Dublin InQuirer Newspaper Articles [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2024 Culture Ireland Travel Grant Culture Ireland
2024 Practitioner in Residence - Media Archaeology Lab University of Colorado Boulder
2023 European Media Art Platform (EMAP) Residency European Media Art Platform
2023 Discover Programme (in collaboration with Beta Festival & Digital Hub Dublin) Science Foundation Ireland
2018 European Connections in Digital Arts (EUCIDA) Travel Award Creative Europe
2015 PhD Scholarship Dublin City University Dublin City University

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Visual Artists Ireland Member 01-JUN-20 /
ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Media Technologies Academic Collaborator 01-JUN-24 /
Association of Internet Researchers Member 01-JUN-22 /
Open Data Institute Member 01-JUN-23 /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Media Technologies (University College Dublin) Postdoctoral Researcher 01-JUN-22 / 31-MAY-24
School of Visual Culture, National College of Art & Design Adjunct Lecturer 01-JAN-21 / 31-MAY-24
School of Communications, Dublin City University Tutor & Lecturer 01-SEP-15 / 01-SEP-19
School of Creative Arts, Technological University of Dublin Adjunct Lecturer 01-JAN-15 /
Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin Adjunct Lecturer, Research & Curatorial Lead 01-JUN-19 / 01-SEP-20
Department of Media Studies, Maynooth University Adjunct Lecturer 01-JAN-20 / 31-MAY-20

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2012 National College of Art & Design MA Art in the Digital World
2009 Dublin City University MSc Multimedia
2021 Dublin City University PhD Media Art Practice

Teaching Interests

I have designed and delivered numerous theoretical and practice-based modules related to digital art, culture and technology at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I also have extensive experience in developing and leading workshops engaging with alternative pedagogical approaches at various cultural institutions and events. 

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2024 Digital Design FMSK1100
2024 Creative Media Development FM2103
2025 Creative Coding & Exploratory Computing FM4102
2025 Introduction to Visual Culture FM1100
2025 Digital Storytelling FS304
2024 Online Media Production FM3104