Dinushi Dias, Meet the first residents of ACMI’s huge new co-working space, startup smart, 26 July 2016
Since early May this year, ACMI has welcomed an eclectic mix of creators, inventors and entrepreneurs into its brand new 2000m2 co-working space.
ACMI X is one of the first co-working spaces offered by an established cultural institution in Australia, and it’s already spinning out some inventive ideas by deliberately colliding the arts with startups.
Among the mix of residents are animators, web developers, educators, UX designers and video producers, as well as media and communications students and researchers from RMIT.
Dan Koerner, founder of digital studio specialising in immersive technology Sandpit, is one of the space’s first residents.
“The fact that it’s curated brings an interesting culture to the environment,” Koerner tells StartupSmart.
“Relationships bubble away slowly.
“My company is interested in interactivity and the world.”
One of Koerner’s recent projects, built in collaboration with Google Creative Lab, showcased to audiences a performance powered by mobile audio technology.
“It involves audience members placing a ghost sheet on their head and they can hear a performance,” he says.
The company is now working to add a virtual reality component so guests can immerse themselves in the performance through VR and audio tech.
These are the type of innovative creations ACMI X is hoping to nurture and grow in the space, ACMI CEO Katrina Segwick says.
“It’s still early days,” Sedgwick tells StartupSmart.
“It’s already developing partnerships among people in there which wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”
