Skip to main content

                    Joel Zika

                    Test Sites Online: Round 1

                    Light display
                    Joel Zika is a media artist and academic from Melbourne.

                    Joel’s research and practice explore the history of immersive media and those discoveries inform innovative and accessible digital arts projects in galleries, public and virtual spaces.

                    Joel works with animated content building works in digital space and then finding unique ways to transpose these worlds into different spaces for audiences. In 2020 Joel has been commissioned as a mentor for the Australian Centre for Projection Art, and the National Gallery of South Australia acquired his work as part of Life in the Time of Covid, a 2020 exhibition for GAG Projects Berlin featuring Patricia Piccinini and AES+F.

                    The work he creates also bridges gaps between the arts and popular entertainment sectors through illusionistic works he has made for amusement parks, shopping centres and popular music festivals. He has presented at the Dark Mofo festival in Hobart and he has spoken at conferences around the world including Austin’s SXSW. His work is featured in the recent books ‘Darkness and Light in Australia Art’ and ‘Digital Light’ from fibreculture books.

                    Waterline

                    Waterline is a digital sculpture formed entirely of light and water. The project has evolved over many years from collaborations between digital artist Joel Zika and Collide Public Arts; an initiative of public artist James Voller. Further inspired by pandemic practice, the duo perfected a unique approach to building large sculptural works without the restriction of infrastructure or funding bodies. The result of this collaboration is a playful illusionistic method for digital projection which creates large transparent sculptures that float in the air. The format takes the shape of a simple fountain which can be placed into public spaces where artwork cannot normally be placed.

                    Waterline is a project which allows for artistic engagements in nature, amongst festival audiences or on top of buildings through the simple and available medium of water. The aesthetic is novel and engaging for non-traditional audiences, it can be transported and set up simply because no screen or architectural infrastructure is required. Whether it is placed in the middle of a field, floating in a river or in the middle of town squares, the water structure can be placed up to 40 meters from projection source and audience. The flexibility, portability and lack of solid parts make Waterline ideal for festivals and events where people are inhabiting new spaces to view art. The project can use available water and recycle it, run off mains power or generate its own, celebrating the natural environment and creating art from those characteristics.

                    Skip Video
                    Work in development – Waterline
                      Was this page helpful?

                      If you'd like to give more feedback or ask a question, please contact us.

                      Connect with Public Art Melbourne

                      FacebookInstagramYouTube