Creative Groups Sydney

Immersive Signal EP2

Hey everyone! **Immersive Signal is back** **for EP2** this time at **NeonDynamo**. Join us for an evening of immersive industry talks, creative exchange, and AV performance, bringing together artists, producers, scientists, sound artists, studios, and technologists working across light, projection, public space, biotech, installation, performance, and new media. Following the energy of our first edition, we’re continuing the mission: to build a stronger, more connected immersive creative community in Sydney, one that brings local talent into the same room, opens up space for collaboration, and connects Sydney’s scene with bigger global conversations. For this edition, we’re inviting speakers from across different corners of the immersive world, from Vivid Sydney production and biotech research to sound, public art, installation, and experiential design. **Speakers** Melanie Horkan, Producer of Vivid Sydney Heath Campanaro, CEO, NeonDynamo Dr Sean O’Donoghue, Biotech Scientist, UNSW Sydney Phondupe, Composer & Sound Artist Adela Lines & Simone Chua, Amigo & Amigo More to come… **Plus AV performance** **Presented by JŪ YU Lab** with Melanie Horkan and Susan Kosti **07/07** **6 PM** **NeonDynamo** **Free event** Come through, meet people, share ideas, and help shape the next wave of Sydney’s immersive scene.

Come draw & Win Tablets! | Sketch Off

**Come draw with us! 😆** **Whether you’re here to draw socially or compete to win tablets from our sponsor Wacom, you’re in for a fun night of sketching and mingling at this play session for artists.** **For contestants:** **You’ll be placed into teams and given a theme. You’ll have ~2 hours to create a group piece on a Wacom tablet. Winning team takes home a tablet each! 😱** **For art lovers:** **Come hang, mingle, and sketch with others. Cheer for your favourite artists and enter the raffle to win your Wacom tablet.** **Event rundown:** **6:00pm — Mingle & sketch together (throughout the event)** **6:30pm — Competition begins (teams form, theme revealed)** **8:30pm — Competition ends, winner crowned** **9:00pm — Event wraps** **See you there!** **Also check out our monthly Shorts Off - play sessions for video content creators.(Insta: @Shorts.Off.event)** **$35 for Contestant** **$10 for Art-lovers** **Enter HIGHFIVE for $5 off 🌟** **Purchase at** **https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/sketch-off-lets-draw-tickets-1987978735914?aff=oddtdtcreator** **⸻** **Questions? hello@shortsoff.com**

Painting Creative Art Experience

**Painting Creative Art Experience** Join us for a fun and relaxing in-person workshop where you'll explore the power of painting to unlock your creativity and promote healing. No experience needed—just bring your open mind and let your imagination flow! Step into a calm, welcoming space where you can slow down, breathe, and reconnect with yourself through colour and creative expression. This is a gentle, guided painting experience designed to support emotional release, relaxation, and creative flow—no art experience needed. You don’t need to be “good at art.” You just need to come as you are. Through intuitive painting and reflective creative exercises, you’ll be invited to explore your inner world in a safe and supportive environment. This is a space to let go of pressure, quiet the mind, and reconnect with your natural creativity. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, creatively blocked, or simply needing time to rest and reset, this workshop offers a pause from everyday life and a return to yourself. You’ll be gently guided by **Louisa Chan**, an artist and art therapist who integrates creativity, emotional wellbeing, and healing practices into her work. Expect a relaxed, nurturing atmosphere, soft guidance, and a sense of freedom to express what words often cannot. **In this workshop you will:** * Explore painting as a tool for emotional expression and release * Experience a calm, supportive creative space * Reconnect with your imagination and inner world * Let go of perfection and create freely * Leave feeling more grounded, lighter, and creatively refreshed No experience needed. All materials are provided. Come as you are—leave with colour, calm, and something meaningful you created from within.

PASS PAUSE PLAY acoustic and songwriters music night.

**PASS PAUSE PLAY** is a night where songwriters come together to pass the mic, pause for a second to tell you a story, and then play their songs in one shared set. **About:** Based on a Nashville ‘in-the-rounds’ model - 3-4 artists will take turns playing their songs, going around the circle 3-4 times depending on the show. In between each song, artists are encouraged to respond to one another through questions, reflections, and any tangents that may arise. These ‘between’ moments lead to beautiful insights into song writing, artistic life, and the nuances in experience in each performer’s work. PASS PAUSE PLAY is a deliberately informal gig space that allows artists and audiences to connect in ways a pub or concert hall might restrict. Audiences and artists have both voiced how the organic conversational moments of these shows are often the most memorable. **WHERE:** PASS PAUSE PLAY is held at Nauti Studios Glebe on unceded Gadigal land in Forest Lodge, NSW. **Find tickets here:** https://events.humanitix.com/host/pass-pause-play

GLEBE ZINES

Create beautiful visual artwork

You will be introduced to basic pouring techniques and art-theory. Followed by a demonstration of pouring paint. You get to create your own painting on a 15×20cm canvas. We then discuss how you found the experience and what you will like to try out perhaps for next time. Please note paintings usually take 3 to 4 days to copleately dry, the varnish can be applied to finish them after that to complete the artwork. If you would like to take them home on the day, please bring a tray or cardboard for ease of transportation. Wearing old clothes and sneakers to the workshop are recomended (just in case of paint spilling). Before the workshop You may like to google flow art techiques on utube, for Ideas of techniques you may like to try. Just come along and enjoy the experience and the fun in flow art.

Beer and Pixels - Monthly - 2025

Beer and Pixels is back as usual, on the second Tuesday of the month. At the Off Broadway Hotel. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Got a game, demo or prototype you need people to playtest? Bring it along! Just provide a computer and input device, or a copy of the boardgame or card game you wish to show off, if you are a physical game dev :) Don't have a game to show? No worries! Just come on down, grab a beverage of your choice and play the games on display. See you there! PS: We have a Google Calendar of all Sydney events: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=dXNpcGNlZzRzdGhrZGE5cnF0bDUwMHJlMDhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ [#BeerAndPixels](https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/beerandpixels?__eep__=6&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZXA1_Gs4GRAZsh55FxkF-C6TQs0cL7M-55eLC0PY3jSLiQIvmXsZYz39rKYw0ltJ6skKgSCCcFoA99W-7NeyX-WKj_Pb3uUHqNtK-RaC0IrJA&__tn__=q)

SydJS: AI — Adding Insight

What’s even better than uncovering insights into a rising technology? Getting to stand on the shoulders of giants to look ahead. What’s even better than that chance? Having the same team return to reprise what you’d learnt. What’s even better than that revision? Revising just that little bit slower and going just that little bit deeper. That’s right, Thinkmill’s Dinesh Pandiyan is back this month to guide you through how AI can be unlocked to add value to your company, your team, and your workflow. One not to miss!

SALON DES REFUSES 2026

Meet Ai VIPS & Learn Secrets of Ai Success @ 1st Ai Film Festival/ Party !!!

**MAKE HISTORY \* BECOME A STAR \* MAKE A FORTUNE !!!** GET BARGAIN TICKETS QUICK [https://www.omnifilmfestival.com/hyperphantasia](https://www.omnifilmfestival.com/hyperphantasia) ANY PROBLEMS OR PROBLEMS RING US 0419500023 WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP

Enshittification and the Power of Platforms: Is There a Way Out?

Ever wonder why so many digital services you rely on seem to be getting simultaneously worse and more expensive? More ads. Sponsored search results. Subscription creep. Auto‑renew traps. Dubious 'surge' charges. Sneaky fees. Forced sign-ins. Cancel buttons hidden. There's a term for this phenomenon: enshittification — the gradual degradation of platforms that once seemed like technological miracles offering us convenience, connection, and democratisation. But enshittification - the Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2024 - is just the surface symptom of something far more corrosive. Beneath the declining user experience lies a fundamental reshaping of our economy where a handful of tech platforms have positioned themselves as inescapable gatekeepers, extracting unprecedented wealth from workers, businesses, and consumers while accumulating dangerous concentrations of power — what some are now calling technofeudalism. What happened to the internet's promise of widespread prosperity and a stronger democracy? How did we end up locked into systems that seem designed to serve everyone except us? And most importantly: what can we do about it? Come join us for a vital conversation about reclaiming our digital future and building an economy that works for everyone, not just the platform owners. **Book: *Enshittification – Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* (2025) by Cory Doctorow** **Book (Alternative): *The Age of Extraction – How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity* (2025) by Tim Wu** **Pdf Resource:** ***[Infographics and Summary Tables](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQB0CITwHhHJSaFBbJDhZmMEAcDSAace_BN1Q6aSYILezCI?e=edqfP9)*** (A prepared document of selected ideas from the two books) This month you have two options to read depending on your preference towards the level of analysis, style of writing, and your ease in accessing the book. *Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* by Cory Doctorow is a punchy, provocative, and highly readable take on why so many digital platforms seem to decline over time. Doctorow, who coined the term ‘enshittification’, argues that platforms follow a predictable lifecycle—starting out user-focused, then shifting to business customers, and finally extracting for themselves—in each stage squeezing the group it previously courted. The book is fast-paced, example-rich, and written in an accessible, almost conversational style, making it ideal if you enjoy sharp arguments, memorable concepts, and contemporary tech critique. It’s particularly appealing for readers who like books that spark immediate reactions and connect directly to everyday experiences online. *The Age of Extraction* by Tim Wu takes a broader, more analytical approach. Wu situates the problems of digital platforms within a larger historical and economic pattern, arguing that we are living in an “age of extraction” where powerful actors systematically draw value from users, workers, and society. The tone is more measured and reflective, with a focus on big-picture thinking and long-term trends. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy connecting ideas across economics, history, and politics, and who prefer a more structured, conceptual framework over a punchy polemic. Please read one (or both), depending on your interests. *The Age of Extraction* is 226 pages (or 6 hours) and *Enshittification* is 340 pages (or 10 hours, not available on Audible but is available on other platforms). Join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 6th July, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. Bring along an example of an app or digital service you used to really like that has since become enshittified—something you can have a quick rant about to kick off the conversation! 😊 Hope to see you there! P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to other people if there is a waitlist. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- These are just optional links to consider to supplement the reading of the books. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section. **Videos & Podcasts** * Two-for-one: Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu together! (Curiously, as kids they were classmates in the same small primary school in Toronto!): [The Ezra Klein Show – We Didn't Ask for This Internet (1.5hrs)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yepnhe1T-9U&t) [The Oxford Internet Institute - Enshittification and Extraction (1.5hrs)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkYxMQJ9c94) * Cory Doctorow Interviews: [Prospect Magazine (28mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9XRREj1DSo&t) [Doctorow on The Daily Show (15 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2e-c9SF5nE) [The Guardian (24 mins)](https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/nov/24/enshittification-how-we-got-the-internet-no-one-asked-for-podcast) * Tim Wu Interviews: [The Majority Report (40 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpnMk3IhV6U) [The Commonwealth Club (1 hour)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mRvMEzjTVw) * Explainer Video: [Why Every App is Getting Worse on Purpose (10 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjEGRXVKQCQ) **Written** * Pdf Resource: [Infographics and Summary Tables](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQB0CITwHhHJSaFBbJDhZmMEAcDSAace_BN1Q6aSYILezCI?e=edqfP9) (A prepared document of selected ideas from the two books) * Enshittification Summaries and Reviews: [Wikipedia summary of Enshittification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification) [Transcript of Doctorow Lecture on Enshittification](https://doctorow.medium.com/my-mcluhan-lecture-on-enshittification-ea343342b9bc) [CounterFire Book Review ](https://www.counterfire.org/article/enshittification-why-everything-suddenly-got-worse-and-what-to-do-about-it-book-review/) * The Age of Extraction Reviews [Prospect Book Review](https://prospect.org/2025/12/10/internets-tollbooth-operators-wu-review/) [HowAustraliaReallyWorks Book Review](https://www.howaustraliareallyworks.com/2026/02/book-summary-age-of-extraction-how-tech.html) [Washington Monthly Book Review](https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/02/age-of-extraction-tim-wu/)

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