Digital Mythologies

Digital Mythologies – Mythical Digitalities (DIMYMYDI) was an EU-funded project responding to two contemporary challenges: the shift to online education prompted by Covid-19 and the renewed cultural and political interest in mythological themes. It addressed the limitations of digital tools for art, design, and media education, where online learning environments often fail to accommodate creative production and exhibition needs. Simultaneously, it sought to counter the shallow and divisive use of mythology in public discourse by promoting deeper understanding and shared cultural reflection.

The project aims were, to develop:

A digital toolkit to enhance online teaching and learning in media and visual communication.

Training for teachers and students in new digital tools and mythological literacy.

A mythology compendium and curated exhibition series showcasing creative outcomes.

A multimedia publication to document and disseminate results.

Activities included ten learning and training events for students and teachers, four multiplier events for professional and public audiences, and exhibitions of student work in partnership with museums, festivals, and cultural institutions. DIMYMYDI promotes hybrid and online collaboration, recognising these modes as key opportunities for broader participation and engagement in art, design, and mythology education.

Total Project Award across all partner institutions: 368.361,74 €

Project number is: 2021-1-FI01-KA220-HED-000032232

Digital Mythologies was a three-year European Erasmus+ project where art and design students and teachers from five countries worked together to explore how myths and shared stories influence our identities and cultures today. Through creative workshops, trips, and events in Ireland, Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Belgium, participants used digital media to make art and design projects inspired by mythological ideas and themes like identity and nature. The project also helped develop digital teaching tools and resources to support creative learning online and in person, and shared outcomes through exhibitions and public talks.

Please see the attached project card document for project outcomes and results across partner countries.

Outcomes for IADT
IADT was a core partner institution in the three‑year Erasmus+ consortium “Digital Mythologies – Mythological Digitalities,” responsible for leading Irish-based teaching, workshop, and dissemination activities, and for developing the MythCloud digital research platform as a key project output.
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Teaching and workshop activities
IADT hosted the Irish workshop “Digital Mythologies: Identities” in March 2023, which included cultural events on Irish history and student production of digital postcards responding to EU Charter values such as solidarity, equality, and inclusion.
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Staff from IADT’s Visual Communication Design area acted as senior researchers and educators across the multi-country workshop series, which altogether engaged over 135 students and more than 20 faculty members Europe‑wide.
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MythCloud platform contribution
IADT researchers (notably Gerard Fox, Rory Bradley, and Joe Phelan) created MythCloud as the Irish contribution and one of the four formal research outputs of the Digital Mythologies consortium. MythCloud functions as an open educational platform and curated archive of nearly 200 digital sources and artefacts on myth and storytelling, supporting interdisciplinary teaching, research, and public engagement around the project’s core themes.
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Public dissemination and impact
IADT contributed to public dissemination through lectures on Irish mythologies and visual culture, exhibitions, and events linked to the Mythology: Identity workshop and broader Digital Mythologies programme.
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The institution’s work on MythCloud and Digital Mythologies has been highlighted in IADT research/impact records and external recognition, including shortlisting for design awards as a significant pan‑European educational and research resource.