Latest news with #Imma
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Artist Michael Kane dies at 89 shortly after opening show at Taylor Galleries
Celebrated Irish artist Michael Kane, who opened an exhibition of new work on Thursday, has died at the age of 89. Mr Kane, who would turn 90 on Monday, died on Friday afternoon following a short illness, his family said in a statement. Speaking to The Irish Times this year , Mr Kane acknowledged there was a possibility he might not reach 90, saying: 'Without actually trying, I do find myself living more in the moment than in the future or in the past.' The artist and writer from Dublin celebrated the opening of his solo exhibition of new work at the Taylor Galleries on Kildare Street, Dublin, on Thursday night with close family. READ MORE The painter was still producing work in his Dublin studio this month. Video: Bryan O'Brien His work is also currently on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) and Hillsboro Fine Art in Dublin. Kane was still producing work in his studio this month and attended the opening of a major exhibition, Staying with the Trouble, at Imma, which featured several of his paintings. Born in Dublin in 1935, he was raised in Wicklow, before returning to the capital in 1956 to study at the National College of Art and Design. At the time, he said he was surprised to be accepted and more surprised to receive praise for his work by a tutor. 'I was in my early 20s, and that was the first person who ever praised anything I did. It was of tremendous significance to me,' he said. Since the 1960s, Kane has worked consistently, exhibiting his painting, drawing and print in Ireland and Europe including shows in Hugh Lane Gallery, Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), and Imma. Artist Michael Kane in his studio. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien/The Irish Times He was also among the first members of Aosdána, the affiliation association of creative artists in Ireland, and was a pivotal figure in the Independent Artists, a group created as an alternative to the RHA and the Living Art exhibition. In his 2023 memoir, Blind Dogs, he wrote: 'We were ambitious not just for our individual selves, but for art itself.' Kane was also a co-founder of the Project Arts Centre, and the editor of the sociopolitical art journal, Structure. Speaking to The Irish Times this year, Kane said he wondered if he would work again after spending part of 2024 in ill health. He subsequently began to paint while sitting down at a table instead of standing, 'to see what would come.' In the wide-ranging interview, he said: 'Most people are very intelligent, but they don't use parts of their brain a lot of the time and I think if they observed more, they would enjoy living a lot more.' Kane is survived by his widow, architect Shelley McNamara, his children Aoife and Oisín, and his brother Tony.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Next wave of influencer marketing
AMONG the most definining shifts in 21st-century marketing is the rise of social media influencers (SMI). Over the past decade, influencer marketing has evolved from a niche tactic into a core component of digital strategy. Today, brand partnerships with SMI are growing by over 50% annually, underscoring their increasing value and impact. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, influencer marketing is entering a bold new phase – one that blends emerging technologies with human connection. What began as a social media trend is now a sophisticated driver of digital commerce. And what's coming next? It is nothing short of revolutionary. Enabling the next generation of smart influence Artificial intelligence (AI) has quietly become the backbone of modern influencer campaigns. In 2025, it will do far more than simply recommend hashtags or determine the best sharing times. It will power end-to-end campaign management. AI-driven platforms are reshaping influencer discovery and matchmaking. They go beyond vanity metrics, analysing tone of voice, creative execution, audience composition and historic campaign performance. This precision allows brands to uncover high-impact micro and nano-influencers who boast high engagement over sheer follower counts. We are also seeing the rise of virtual influencers – synthetic, AI-generated personas such as Lil Miquela or Imma. These avatars are programmable, consistent and free from human unpredictability. Brands can utilise them to deliver consistent messaging, interact in real time with followers and serve as brand ambassadors year-round. AI does not just automate, it learns. Predictive analytics now anticipate campaign fatigue, forecast return on investment and adapt content in real time to optimise engagement. Brands need to implement AI-driven platforms to identify influencers with true resonance, ensure authenticity and automate performance tracking. Web3, smart contracts, decentralised identities While AI maximises efficiency, Web3 changes ownership. Blockchain technologies, smart contracts and decentralised identities enable influencers and brands to partner in new, fairer and more transparent ways. Gone are the days of ambiguity around deliverables or delayed payments. Smart contracts implement campaign terms automatically, paying out when targets are met and monitoring rights usage. Influencers are also embracing Web3 by tokenising their personal brand. Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are emerging as new value exchanges, offering customers exclusive content, experiences or digital goods. Forward-thinking brands are experimenting NFT-based loyalty schemes or co-creating limited-edition drops with Web3-native creators. Decentralised identities further empower creators by allowing them to own their audiences, transferring reputation and influence across platforms without being tethered to any single algorithm or network. Web3 brings radical transparency and new monetisation models. Smart marketers will start integrating token-based activations and decentralised partnerships into their influencer playbooks. Engaging, participatory influence The metaverse is not a concept of the future, it is already here. As digital and real life intersect, influencer marketing is shifting away from 2D digital storytelling to 3D immersive storytelling. Influencers are now organising virtual fashion shows, product launches and question and answer sessions within platforms such as Instagram, Roblox and Fortnite. These environments are blurring the lines between entertainment, commerce and connection. Augmented reality and virtual reality are giving customers the ability to try on makeup, furniture or fashion via influencer recommendations, bridging inspiration with action. Influencers are designing digital wearables, selling them as NFT and integrating them into virtual worlds and games. Meanwhile, brands are investing in branded avatars, 3D showrooms and immersive storytelling to reach audiences where they live physically and virtually. Succeeding in the next era Brands must shift from thinking of influencers as amplifiers to seeing them as strategic collaborators embedded across platforms and experiences. Brands should diversify their creator ecosystem to include not only human influencers but also AI avatars, metaverse-native personalities and Web3 creators. Moreover, brands can experiment with tokenised engagement, such as using NFT, creator coins or decentralised platforms, to deepen loyalty and ownership. Additionally, they can design campaigns that span across platforms, from TikTok to metaverse environments, or through augmented reality glasses. As influence becomes decentralised, trust and belonging rather than reach will be the ultimate measure of success. We are entering a new chapter in marketing, one where AI refines strategy, Web3 redefines collaboration and immersive technologies reimagine how consumers engage. This is not just a moment of change, it is a complete redefinition of what it means to be influential. Brands that recognise this shift now – who build not just for visibility but for trust, belonging and innovation – will shape culture, not chase it. Dr Irfan Hameed is a senior lecturer at the School of Media and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor's University. Comments: letters@
Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Simone Rocha: ‘I did a collaboration with Crocs, then couture for Jean Paul Gaultier'
What drives the renowned Irish fashion designer Simone Rocha? Fashion lovers will get an insight into the London-based Dubliner's inspirations when she and the photographer Perry Ogden take part in a discussion at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) next week. 'I'm looking forward to sharing more about the practice and the process,' Rocha told The Sunday Times. 'Because with fashion we show twice a year but it's a very intimate thing. So I think it'll be nice to break down and share a little bit of the influence and the behind the scenes as well. I'm really excited about going to speak in Imma — I've always adored it as an institution.' For Rocha, fashion is in the blood. The 38-year-old is the
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Five homes on view this week in Dublin and Wexford from €275,000 to €1.25m
25 Carrickfoyle Terrace, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 €290,000, Gillespie Lowe Group This one-bedroom terraced cottage is on a quiet road just off Old Kilmainham. Extending to 39sq m (419sq ft), it opens into a kitchen/livingroom with the bedroom to the rear. The E2-rated house has a small 3sq m back yard and is near Imma and all of the cafes and bars that Kilmainham village has to offer. On view By appointment at 63A Tritonville Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4 63A Tritonville Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4 €595,000, Bennetts Auctioneers This is a really well located detached two-bedroom, two-bathroom home. The 75sq m (807sq ft) D2-rated house, built in 1990, is at the Newbridge Avenue end of this residential road. The livingroom and interconnecting kitchen are to the left with the bedrooms to the right. On view By appointment at READ MORE [ Classic Kenny-built five-bed in Mount Merrion for €1.55m Opens in new window ] 27A The Mews, St Lawrence's Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3 27A The Mews, St Lawrence's Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3 €695,000, Sherry FitzGerald Sequestered of St Lawrence Road is a four-bedroom, three-bathroom detached mews house with off-street parking and a south-facing back garden. Built in 1998, it has an Edwardian-style porch with a dual aspect, interconnecting rooms downstairs and a large eat-in kitchen to the rear that leads out to the garden. The C3-rated home has three doubles and a single bedroom, with en suite principal. On view By appointment at 4 Rosmeen Gardens, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin 4 Rosmeen Gardens, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin €1.25m, DNG Within a few minutes' walk of Dún Laoghaire's Upper George's Street and the Dart station at Sandycove and Glasthule, this is a large box-bay-fronted six-bedroom, two-bathroom Edwardian redbrick with lots of fine period features, including high ceilings, fireplace surrounds and interconnecting reception rooms. The G-rated property, which extends to 249sq m (2,680sq ft), is in need of refurbishment. On view By appointment at 12 Glen Bay, Poulshone, Gorey, Co Wexford 12 Glen Bay, Poulshone, Gorey, Co Wexford €275,000, Halnon Humphreys South of Courtown, within a few minutes' walk of Poulshone beach, is this three-bedroom, three-bathroom detached house . The C3-rated home measures 98sq m, and one of its bedrooms is downstairs. The second en-suite bedroom has views of the sea. There's a cornershop at the end of the road and also bus links to Gorey. It is about a 90-minute off-peak drive from Dublin. On view By appointment at
