Cue the commencement of Summer Fridays!
Featured today is Dom Davis, one of our incredible VJs with a flair for the interactive.
Traveling across states and abroad, Dom makes immersive art Happen at festivals, on buildings, and even at the dinner table. When he's not creating the experience, he's seeking them out with local shows, writing, and damn good breakfast tacos.
Swipe to read more about Dom Davis (@Psychojelly_Studio) and how he’s staying busy this summer, and check out our Instagram stories all day today because Dom is sure to give you an experience! Give him a follow to keep up to date on his work.
Our team is unique ~ because we bring together many facets of the Austin arts scene to form something fully collaborative. When they’re not creating alongside Art Island, it’s no surprise that our team are thought leaders in their own industries!
Our Summer Fridays series puts a spotlight on our core team members and what they do when they’re “off” from Art Island events and “on” in their personal life. Tune in every week for a local profile and a day-long stories takeover!
How do you contribute to Art Island?
I’ve VJ’d(projected visuals for the music) some of the events and helped out with the art island tech team on some of the interactive and digital installations that have to do with projectors and touchdesigner. I also help move large objects.
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I’ve VJ’d at the events and helped out with the art island tech team on some of the interactive and digital installations that have to do with projectors and touchdesigner. I also help move large objects.
Favorite Art Island event you’ve been to and why?
It was the Bestow party. It was the event with a lot of vendors at an amazing space. There were coins with prompts on them that you could give to people and they would answer the prompt( tell me a dad joke for example). It was so much fun seeing so many creators showing their work and meeting each other. The music was great too and I enjoyed the costume booth anyone showing up could grab costumes from.
What’s keeping you busy work-wise this summer?
I started my summer running visuals with some good friends at Lightning in a Bottle Festival. Worked on an Interactive Mural in Fort Collins painted by Italian artist Peeta, went to Atlanta to install a content system running on a building, then to Columbus to work on 30 interactive installations.
Next week I’m running visuals for Meow Wolf’s Vortex Festival in Denver with some friends, then traveling to Montreal for Mutek for networking and research. Then I’m heading to Dallas for an immersive projection-mapped dinner party, then to Philadelphia to do tech development for another large 30 installation immersive space.
What’s keeping you busy outside of work this summer?
I’ve been getting back into running(I used to have a side hustle as a running tour guide). I’ve also been attending local concerts, movie screenings at the Alamo, and art events. I’ve also gotten back into reading/writing, short stories funny enough is how I got into interactive art. I also have a small book club I frequent when I can that started during the pandemic around Jorge Borges and now is just anything that sidesteps reality.
What are your creative goals heading into fall?
I’m looking at getting a studio space for building/pre-staging interactive installations. I’m growing skills as a creative director to pitch ideas with support from the founder of the company Cocolab. I’ll also be helping with a stage design for a local electronic festival and hoping to see some fantastic psychedelic bands and visuals at Levitation festival.
What’s your ideal summer Friday night in Austin look like?
Swimming, then grabbing some food with friends before hitting up a local concert or art event!
Your favorite place to cool down this year?
Water-related, it’d have to be the pools near my place. Barton springs if I can fit it in to get down there. Non-water related is Alamo Drafthouse.
Favorite place for a work lunch in Austin?
Cenote. The food is fresh, the atmosphere is chill, the people that work there are kind. It’s also on the east side so on a nice day I can bike there from my place.
What’s an emerging trend in your industry that we should pay attention to?
Software to simulate lighting, video, and perspective of interactive and immersive spaces. It’s helpful in the design phase for everyone to make sure these all support the emotions and the narrative. It also helps with the selling of an experience since installations are bespoke.
It also helps in the production phase because some space/gear isn’t available until the end of the project. These tools allow lighting designers, video creators, software developers, and fabricators to see how their pieces work together in a simulation. Similar systems have also emerged in film production to build sets digitally instead of physically.
What local community is doing great things and we should we support?
Hyperreal Film Club! They are doing amazing things for film lovers in Austin from pop up film showings at bars and art spaces, to immersive events around movies like a vampire ball for What we do in the Shadows for instance, to live scores of films like Akira and Fantastic Planet. They also have a membership program and fun discord for local film lovers.