René Christen

Creative Technologist and Artist based in Sydney/Wollongong
About

René Christen is a Creative Technologist, Software Engineer and Artist who has been creating interactive work professionally and through personal artistic practice for over 20 years.

From unique artistic, educational, museum and gallery-based installations for organisations such as The MCA and Vivid, to big-budget projects for the world’s leading corporate clients such as The World Expo and Google – René’s experience runs the gamut of modern interactive development and technology.

Passionate about the poetry of interactive systems and how technology is used to tell stories, René has been making interactive work professionally since 2003, working as the Interactive lead for Spinifex Group from 2007 to 2015 then founding and directing Code on Canvas until 2023 before focusing on his personal interactive platform Socketumi and joining Junior Major as their Technical Director.

His extensive expertise across the creative and technical process ranges from high level concepts, technical direction and project management, right down to the finest details of animation, software engineering and systems integration.

Selected Projects
Employment
Exhibitions
  • 2025
    Uncontained Art Festival
    Sydney
  • 2024
    Bathurst Winter Festival
    Bathurst
  • 2023
    Bathurst Winter Festival
    Bathurst
  • 2022
    Bathurst Winter Festival
    Bathurst
  • 2021
    Perth Cultural Centre
    Perth
  • 2019
    Bathurst Winter Festival
    Bathurst
  • 2018
    UTS Open Day
    Sydney
  • 2017
    Double Take, Surry Hills Festival
    Sydney
  • 2017
    UTS Open Day
    Sydney
  • 2017
    Beijing Design Week
    Beijing
  • 2015
    Recently Historic, Gaffa Gallery
    Sydney
  • 2014
    Recently Historic, UWS Gallery
    Sydney
  • 2014
    Inanimata, Drunk on the Moon (and surrounding streets)
    Sydney
  • 2013
    Underbelly Arts Festival
    Sydney
  • 2013
    Auckland Fringe Festival
    Auckland
  • 2013
    Enlighten Festival
    Canberra
  • 2012
    Vivid Festival
    Sydney
  • 2011
    Conny Dietzschold Gallery
    Sydney
  • 2011
    Vivid Festival
    Sydney
  • 2010
    Geometries of Attention, Serial space
    Sydney
  • 2010
    Implodes performance,Face the Strange, Chicago MCA
    Chicago
  • 2009
    Showing Off, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
    Bathurst
  • 2008
    Frenzy! MOP gallery
    Sydney
  • 2008
    The Business of being an artist, Serial Space
    Sydney
  • 2008
    Liquid Architecture Festival
    Sydney
  • 2007
    BronxMAP Performance
    New York
  • 2007
    BronxMAP Premiere Screening
    New York
  • 2006
    Media Art Friesland Festival
    The Netherlands
  • 2006
    Alfred on 25th, Florence Lynch Gallery
    New York
  • 2006
    Listening Glass, Squeaky Wheel
    Buffalo, New York
  • 2006
    Converge, Rochester Institute of Technology
    Rochester, New York
  • 2005
    A Sacrifice for Hygia, Alfred University
    Alfred, New York
  • 2004
    The Loupe Gallery
    Prattsburgh, New York
  • 2004
    Plan C, Alfred University
    Alfred, New York
  • 2004
    Listening Glass, First Draft
    Sydney
  • 2003
    Electrofringe Festival
    Newcastle, Australia
  • 2003
    Captain Very Exciting Saves the Day with his Peanut Hip-hop, First Draft
    Sydney
  • 2003
    Decoding Sub-Cultures, Blacktown Arts Centre
    Sydney
Education
Contact