Sean-Nós singing is one of Ireland's oldest art forms, deeply rooted in the oral tradition. For centuries, it has been a vessel for preserving history, passing down stories and emotions through unaccompanied song. These melodies carried the weight of personal struggles, love, and the collective memory of a people. Yet, as oral traditions have faded, much of this rich heritage risks being lost, with only scattered fragments remaining.

 

YOU CAN SING ME ON MY WAY responds to this fragile legacy by reimagining Sean-Nós for the present. By creating a new artificial intelligence model, trained on the remnants of this tradition, the project generates new songs—songs that no longer speak solely of ancient times but instead sing of us, here and now. The AI searches for stories and events shaping our world today and transforms them into Sean-Nós lyrics, sung in a style that honors the tradition while also giving it new life and purpose.

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At the center of the work is a golden sphere, a contemporary storyteller that draws from the digital landscape to sing songs of the moment. By connecting the old art of Sean-Nós with modern tools, the project reexamines the role of storytelling in modern society, whether ancient or digital, questioning how it remains our way of making sense of the world.

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Yet, in embracing the tools of artificial intelligence, the work also invites reflection on the role of AI in preserving and shaping human culture. In an age when artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing—and concerns like P(Doom) (the perceived probability of AI surpassing human control) loom large—YOU CAN SING ME ON MY WAY asks what role machines should play in honoring human achievements. Is AI merely a tool to amplify what we create, or does it risk becoming a filter that redefines what we choose to remember?

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By giving voice to an ancient tradition through artificial intelligence, the work simultaneously preserves and transforms it, offering no clear answers but prompting us to consider the complex relationship between technology and heritage. The sphere doesn’t simply preserve the past—rather, it propels it forward, singing the essence of Sean-Nós into the future. It ensures that this fading tradition finds a voice that speaks not only for those who came before but also for us now, resonating in ways that challenge us to think about the role of both humanity and technology in the stories we choose to carry forward.

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Special thanks to: Beate Bos, Bram van Es (B-Lab), Daan Heemskerk

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NB Selection of sound-files and lyrics coming soon​​​