Merchant City Festival at St. Enoch Centre
Step into a strange and captivating vision of the future as Glory Mold: 2084 arrives at Surge Festival 2026 as part of the Merchant City Festival.
Set in the year 2084, after drought has transformed the planet, Glory Mold: 2084 imagines an extraordinary world where nature and technology have evolved together. Deep within the ruins of a former tech centre, a playful fungi-powered AI has taken root, creating a living ecosystem where glowing tendrils spread across the ceiling, silver jewels grow for curious beetles, and concrete structures slowly transform into a thriving, symbiotic environment.
This immersive, site-specific installation invites audiences to interact directly with Glory Mold using humanity’s last working keyboard. Conversations with a specially trained, locally run AI shape the experience, bringing to life a multisensory world built from handmade biomaterials inspired by slime mold.
Blending speculative fiction, interactive technology and environmental storytelling, Glory Mold: 2084 explores some of today’s most urgent questions: our relentless pursuit of technological progress, the environmental impact of energy-hungry large language models, and the ways AI bias is reshaping society. Against a backdrop of climate emergency, deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation, the work offers an imaginative space to rethink our relationship with technology and envision more hopeful futures.
Developed through Watershed’s More Than AI Sandbox, funded by MyWorld (UKRI Strength in Places Fund), and supported by Creative Scotland, Glory Mold: 2084 is a thought-provoking experience that is both playful and profound.
Whether you’re curious about AI, fascinated by immersive art, or simply looking to experience something unlike anything else at this year’s festival, Glory Mold: 2084 promises an unforgettable journey into a possible future.
Event Details
- Dates: Friday 24 – Wednesday 29 July 2026
- Opening Times: 12:00pm–5:00pm daily
- Venue: Ground floor, St Enoch Centre
- Admission: Free, no booking required
Come and meet Glory Mold—and discover what might grow from the ruins of our technological age.