What's this event?

Avant-Harde Drive is a chance to meet fellow creatives from all kinds of disciplines experimenting with tech and art. Whether you’re a musical coder, experimental video game designer, immersive installation maker, VR documentary creator, 3D printed fashion designer, AI programming comedian, volumetric tap dancer, or anything in between - come along!

Not an artist, just love hearing about cool projects? You're welcome too!

What's planned?

We'll have some guest speakers talking for 10min each, then doing a casual Q&A. You'll hear from:

David Clarkson is an artist, director, producer and cofounder of Stalker and its co-brand Box of Birds. Stalker is a physical theatre company that incorporates dance, acrobatics, aerials and storytelling with interactive technology to create unique experiences, while Box of Birds is a collective of digital artists, performance makers and researchers who take VR out of the goggles and into the world. David's work has toured over 30 countries, and he'll be sharing some of his recent projects.

Kurt Mikolajczyk is a musician, composer and creative coder currently undertaking a PhD in interaction design at UTS. With a background as a saxophonist, he completed a Masters of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, developing software tools for composing poly-temporal music and a portfolio of works for jazz ensemble and laptop. He'll be talking about using networks and 'Internet of Things' technologies to create music and real-time multimedia art.

Zara Pasfield is the co-founder of award winning design studio Atelier Sisu, creating works that sits between the fields of art and architecture (art-chitecture), with particular focus on the realm of public art. Much of her recent work has involved the use of innovative technology and large inflatable structures to create immersive temporary experiences in public spaces in Sydney, London, Seoul, Dubai and more.

After this we'll open the space up to grab a drink and meet others.

Details?

It's free!

However Knox St Bar have opened especially for us, so it would be appreciated if you buy a drink at the bar to support the venue.

Spaces are limited, so please register for a free ticket in order to secure your spot. Likewise, if you can no longer attend it would be great if you could use the refund/cancel option so that someone else can take your spot.

What's the backstory here?

Hi! I'm Sally. I'm a musician and performer working with emerging tech for my animated music project called Big Sand. I've been using Unreal Engine, virtual production and motion capture to animate the band and perform live as an animated character - meeting a bunch of great creative people in the process.

However, I've had difficulty finding events or spaces in Sydney where there's a community of fellow creative-techy people. So I've decided to start one! After a successful first few editions, this event is back for 2025 by popular demand.

Questions? Suggestions? Want to help out? Hit me up - hello@bigsand.band :)