Join Curator-in-Residence Milia Xin Bi and creative technologist Haidar Nasralla for an interactive workshop exploring the creative possibilities of locally run artificial intelligence (AI). Together, participants will learn how to build, customise and experiment with AI models that run directly on their own computers, opening up new ways of thinking about creativity, technology and digital autonomy.
Artificial intelligence (AI) does not have to be owned or controlled by large technology companies. In this hands-on, three-hour workshop, participants will learn how to run powerful Large Language Models (LLMs) directly on their own laptops, without relying on cloud-based services. Designed to demystify generative AI, the workshop explores how locally run, open-source models can offer greater transparency, privacy and creative agency. Participants will learn how to choose, install and run an open-source AI model on their own laptop, before experimenting with ways to tailor it to their specific needs—from generating code to automating repetitive tasks.
The workshop will then move into a collaborative session using SillyTavern, an interface that enables users to design, write, and interact with LLM-driven characters. As a creative sandbox, it offers an accessible and engaging introduction to building personalised AI experiences while exploring the possibilities of local AI.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed AI literacy, a stronger understanding of digital sovereignty, and practical skills in deploying AI locally. They will gain a working knowledge of core AI concepts, set up a fully functional AI assistant running entirely on their own device with complete data privacy, and gain hands-on experience building chatbots, coding assistants, and other agentic AI applications.
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Nasralla will also present his work as a creative technologist, concluding with a live public installation at the Communal Project Space. Using a pre-installed LLM running on an independent Wi-Fi network, visitors and participants will be able to connect via web interface and interact with the model entirely outside of commercial cloud platforms.
Notes before attending:
In case of any technical issues, the workshop will also provide access to its own locally hosted LLM. Participants will be able to connect to this model during the session.
No prior technical background or experience is required to attend this workshop. Advance booking is required to attend this event.
Milia Xin Bi, Curator-in-Residence said: ‘This workshop is the final episode in the public programme I curated during my residency at esea contemporary, which explores how emerging technologies shape everyday life and how we might develop more critical and independent relationships with them. Developed and led by creative technologist Haidar Nasralla, with conceptual input from Henry Cooke, the workshop introduces participants to locally hosted language models as a practical way of breaking free from Big Tech’s grip on AI—moving from the abstraction of the cloud back to something tangible, running on your own machine, under your own control.
This workshop reflects my wider interest in digital agency and technological literacy, and in opening up space to imagine what language models could still become, and how we might live alongside intelligent technologies.’
Haidar Nasralla is a software engineer and creative technologist based in Manchester, UK. A former international classical trombonist with ensembles such as the Royal Swedish Opera and the European Capital of Culture, his work ranges from building complex production systems to interactive installations that transform real-time data into generative soundscapes. Haidar also helps organise Dorkbot Manchester, an open community for people involved in the creation of electronic art.
Milia Xin Bi is a curator and writer based in Glossop, UK. Her curatorial practice explores how artistic practices can question the instrumental logic of technology and propose alternative narratives for how technology might be lived with. Her research explores multi-temporalities, manifold materialities, and mediated agency emerging from complex systems.
Milia was most recently Curator-in-Residence at FACT Liverpool (2025–2026), where her residency exhibition Can Meeple Escape the Neurophoria? was presented. Alongside this role, she has been an integral part of Chronus Art Center (CAC) since 2017, where she has led and contributed to numerous interdisciplinary projects. She is also the recipient of the Hyundai Blue Prize Art+Tech 2022.
