Interactive media researcher and artist Mari Velonaki creates interactive installations that incorporate movement, speech, touch, breath, electrostatic charge, artificial vision and robotics.

After gaining her PhD in the area of experimental interface design from the University of NSW in 2003, Velonaki’s practice expanded into robotics, where she initiated and led a major Synapse Australian Research Council project. A well-respected artist who has been exhibited worldwide, Velonaki is also currently Associate Professor and director of the Creative Robotics Lab at UNSW Art & Design – a position the Australian Design Centre believes will lead to more innovation and leading practices in the field of robotics.

Image: The Woman and the Snowman, 2013, Silversalt Photography