72 ARTLINES 3 | 2025 Explain the essence of your practice in 50 words or less. My practice lives at the intersection of digital, the arts, and community. I’m interested in digital experiences that tell stories, stir emotion, and connect people to culture in meaningful ways. At QAGOMA, I want to help the public fall in love with the Collection — and its artists — through ambitious, inclusive, digital storytelling. What role does technology have in your work? Technology has changed my life — making it faster, cheaper, and easier to write, record, photograph and create. It’s democratised access to the tools of making. Yet many of my favourite pastimes — cooking, walking the dog, playing vinyl — remain delightfully analogue. I see technology as a powerful storytelling partner, helping more of us to build new kinds of experiences that connect people to art and shape how we present it, and ourselves, to the world. Where are you finding ideas for your work at the moment? Much of my thinking is shaped by ongoing research into wellbeing, especially eudaimonic experiences of meaning, purpose and connection. My work at QUT’s Digital Wellbeing Lab still shapes how I think about relatedness as a core human need. But just as often, ideas arrive in the sauna or steam room, or while riding my Vespa between Annerley and the Gallery — that quiet space between places where thoughts tend to settle. What do you do when you’re not feeling inspired? When I’m not feeling inspired, I shift gears. I’ll make pizza dough, hang out the washing — something tactile that holds my attention without demanding focus. Sometimes I fall down internet rabbit holes and resurface with something unexpected. I’ve learned the best ideas often arrive sideways, when your hands are busy and your mind is elsewhere. Could you tell us about the last gallery or exhibition you went to, and what you thought about it? I wasn’t expecting to be so moved by the recent exhibition ‘The Intelligence of Painting’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. I found myself standing still for a long time in front of Arrernte/ Kalkadoon artist Thea Anamara Perkins’s Return 2024 (Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory collection) — a luminous meditation on memory, movement and belonging. It reminded me of family road trips, red dirt roads, and the aching complexity of home. The show was a reminder of what museums do at their best: amplify diverse voices and create space for reflection and connection. THE LAST WORD Every issue, we ask an artist, curator or art lover to share their practice and passions with us. This spring, we hear from the recently appointed Head of Digital at QAGOMA, Dr Nicholas O’Donnell, who provides generous insights into his love of art and his vibrant, multi-voice approach to digital content. Photograph: Chloë Callistemon What work of art do you wish you owned? Literally anything by Anmatyerre artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye — or perhaps Fred Williams. But I visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales two years ago after a long absence and completely fell in love again with John Olsen’s Five bells 1963. Imagine being able to look at that painting every day. What a gift. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? ‘Measure twice, cut once.’ It’s old-school advice, but it’s stayed with me — whether developing a digital strategy, devising a digital experience, or conducting research. It’s about care and attention — not rushing the work. Slow down, check your thinking, then act with intent. Getting it right builds trust and makes you someone others want to collaborate with.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjM4NDU=