The Milton Keynes Islamic Arts and Culture charity has wrapped up another successful edition of it's iconic City of Codes and Light Festival once again transforming Milton Keynes into a hub of creativity, innovation, and cultural exchange, attracting thousands of attendees from across the UK.
This year’s festival explored the intersections of artificial intelligence, art, science, and technology, offering a diverse range of immersive learning activities, interactive workshops, and inspiring symposiums. In a celebration of modern innovation and ancient wisdom, the festival brought together artists, scientists, educators, and performers, fostering collaboration across multiple disciplines.
Festival Highlights:
The event kicked off at Bletchley Park with a thought-provoking symposium on Mathematics, AI, and Creative Patterns, where speakers like Dr Brigitte Stenhouse and Professor Kamal Bechkoum discussed the deep connections between geometric patterns in Islamic art and modern AI techniques. Their conversation sparked a lively exchange on how AI is shaping both artistic expression and technological innovation.
Thursday's AI for Good symposium at the South Central Institute of Technology showcased how AI can be harnessed to address global challenges from healthcare to sustainability. This was followed by a captivating concert by Group Masal, who infused traditional Turkish melodies with contemporary flair at Milton Keynes Central Library.
Over 18,000 people came together for the grand finale on Saturday which saw Nature’s Algorithm, an extraordinary projection by Limbic Cinema, light up the Central Library, followed by the parade of lights led by the Digital Drummers and Eva the Polar Bear. The evening culminated in a breathtaking Theatre in the Sky drone display by Celestial at Campbell Park, accompanied by the electric sounds of Jimi Needles & the Club Classics Orchestra. The fusion of light, music, and technology highlighted the festival's core themes of innovation and community, leaving audiences in awe.
Anouar Kassim MBE, CEO, Artistic Director, and Founder of MKIAC, shared: “The City of Codes and Light Festival isn’t just about celebrating technology and creativity—it’s about bringing communities together. By exploring the role of AI and cultural diversity, we aim to inspire future generations to think creatively and collaboratively about the challenges and opportunities of our time. I especially want to thank all the volunteers involved and all of the community groups who participated who made the festival such a huge success.”
The festival also featured The Hive, an interactive art installation created by local students and artists using AI to explore the complex beauty of bees and their ability to construct intricate, geometric structures. This installation will remain on display at the Central Library for the next month.
The City of Codes and Light Festival finale on Saturday night once again cemented its place as a key event in Milton Keynes’ cultural calendar, highlighting the city as a centre for innovation, AI, and cultural exchange.
The next event to mark the anniversary of the world’s first AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park is the Milton Keynes AI Festival (29 October - 1 November 2024). The Milton Keynes AI Festival will bring together business leaders and AI experts from the city and beyond for events, conferences and hackathons hosted by major city organisations at the forefront of technological innovation.
For more information and highlights from this year’s City of Codes and Light Festival, visit MKIAC.org.
