Kim Newall

Hi, I’m a creative technologist, performance artist and consultant. Within my creative practice I develop mixed and augmented reality applications, create interactive installations and perform live-mixed visuals and sounds.

My work draws heavily from the hacker/maker and open-source cultures and engages a number of different materials and technologies including mixed reality and augmented software, experimental 3D and 2D animation, Arduino, IoT, ink drawing, pencil sketching, data manipulation, sound sampling and live visual mixing. I exhibit and perform regularly at gigs, festivals and in galleries, but also in public spaces (including zoos, industrial estates and town centres).

My sketches, experiments, videos, installations and performances are designed to challenge the boundaries of what is digital and physical, real and unreal, true and fictional. I’m interested in how hacking, manipulating and transforming different kinds of media so they form new relationships and create new things in that process.

Educating and consulting in the area of creative technologies is a passion of mine. I have facilitated a number of workshops across my career teaching artists, students and the public about emerging technologies (including mixed and augmented reality, 3D Animation, Arduino, E-Textiles and VJing). I also taught physical computing programming and general studio at AUT University for ten years, working with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and staff across the faculty.

Much of my work involves building the capacity of fellow artists to use technology creatively. To this end, I have provided consulting services for the Colab Interactive Suite/Studio, ran the Mechatronics/Maker space within the Design and Creative Technologies Faculty and supported Digital Art Live. This included providing advice and consultancy to students, staff and resident artists wanting to use different kinds of technologies. In addition, I hosted Maker Nights at AUT, and for several years co-hosted Auckland’s Arduino User Group. I am a foundation member of the Creative Technologies Northland group.