Dr. Tom Penney
Senior Lecturer
Details
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College: School of Design
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Department: School of Design
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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thomas.penney@rmit.edu.au
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ORCID: 0000-0002-3456-7860
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
- Membership of an advisory committee
- Teaching provision
- Mentoring (short-term)
- Mentoring (long-term)
About
Dr Tom Penney is an experienced educator, artist and researcher leading the Bachelor of Design (Games) Program.
He has more than 10 years' experience in the tertiary education sector in the fields of digital design, games, interaction, experience design, cross-reality and contemporary art. He was previously a Lecturer and Industry Fellow in Digital Media at RMIT, introducing industry-focused and work-integrated initiatives to the studio environment.
Tom is an expert in digital studio education and practice-based research committed to integrating industry, practice and scholarship in the studio and beyond. His teaching and design of educational studios has focused on agile skills development in digital fields. This involves technical as well as soft skills, work-integrated-learning and critical theory.
His work has been published in journals, books and conferences including the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools, Media International Australia, The Feminist Journal of Art and Digital Culture, The International Journal of Contemporary Humanities, The Routledge Companion to Digital Ethnography, The Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, and the International Symposium of Electronic Art.
His artwork has shown in venues that include Westspace Gallery, Utopian Slumps (Slopes Projects), The Newport Substation, The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Federation Square and Laznia Arts Centre.
Tom's contemporary arts practice involved 3D imaging, cross-reality (virtual and augmented reality) games technology and digital design. He was one of the first contemporary artists in Australia to use 3D photogrammetry, laser-scanning and the game engine Unity3D for critical and experimental artistic purposes in post-internet and post-digital contexts.
His PhD research project "Critical Affection" developed an expanded notion of "critical play" and "affection-image" in digital media and games through contemporary art practice. Much of this drew on a series of artworks that critically represented online dating apps.
Tom previously worked in an augmented reality fashion company, as well as teaching art and design at Curtin and Monash Universities.
Industry Experience:
-Project Manager and Artist, Metaverse Makeovers (2013-14)
-Researcher, Exertion Games Lab (2013)
He has more than 10 years' experience in the tertiary education sector in the fields of digital design, games, interaction, experience design, cross-reality and contemporary art. He was previously a Lecturer and Industry Fellow in Digital Media at RMIT, introducing industry-focused and work-integrated initiatives to the studio environment.
Tom is an expert in digital studio education and practice-based research committed to integrating industry, practice and scholarship in the studio and beyond. His teaching and design of educational studios has focused on agile skills development in digital fields. This involves technical as well as soft skills, work-integrated-learning and critical theory.
His work has been published in journals, books and conferences including the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools, Media International Australia, The Feminist Journal of Art and Digital Culture, The International Journal of Contemporary Humanities, The Routledge Companion to Digital Ethnography, The Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, and the International Symposium of Electronic Art.
His artwork has shown in venues that include Westspace Gallery, Utopian Slumps (Slopes Projects), The Newport Substation, The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Federation Square and Laznia Arts Centre.
Tom's contemporary arts practice involved 3D imaging, cross-reality (virtual and augmented reality) games technology and digital design. He was one of the first contemporary artists in Australia to use 3D photogrammetry, laser-scanning and the game engine Unity3D for critical and experimental artistic purposes in post-internet and post-digital contexts.
His PhD research project "Critical Affection" developed an expanded notion of "critical play" and "affection-image" in digital media and games through contemporary art practice. Much of this drew on a series of artworks that critically represented online dating apps.
Tom previously worked in an augmented reality fashion company, as well as teaching art and design at Curtin and Monash Universities.
Industry Experience:
-Project Manager and Artist, Metaverse Makeovers (2013-14)
-Researcher, Exertion Games Lab (2013)
Research fields
- 360503 Digital and electronic media art
- 360502 Computer gaming and animation
- 460708 Virtual and mixed reality
- 470214 Screen and media culture
- 390101 Creative arts, media and communication curriculum and pedagogy
- 470102 Communication technology and digital media studies
Academic positions
- Senior Lecturer (Digital Design)
- RMIT University
- School of Design
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2024 – Present
- Program Manager (Games)
- RMIT University
- School of Design
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2020 – Present
- Lecturer (Digital Media)
- RMIT University
- School of Design
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2019
- Lecturer, Industry Fellow (Digital Media)
- RMIT University
- School of Media and Communication
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2016 – 31 Dec 2017
- Sessional Academic (Games)
- RMIT University
- School of Media and Communication
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2015 – 31 Dec 2016
- Sessional Academic (Digital Media)
- RMIT University
- School of Media and Communication
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2014 – 31 Dec 2015
- Teaching Associate (Fine Art)
- Monash University
- Department of Art
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2012 – 31 Dec 2012
- Sessional Academic (Fine Art)
- Curtin University
- Department of Art
- Perth, Australia
- 1 Jan 2010 – 31 Dec 2011
Non-academic positions
- Key Advisor
- Digital Culture Strategy, Australia Council for the Arts
- , Australia
- 2020 – 2020
- Project Manager
- Metaverse Makeovers
- Art and Product Direction
- Melbourne and Shanghai, Australia and China
- 1 Jan 2013 – 31 Dec 2014
Supervisor projects
- Subverting Sensors: Interrogating the Sensor Society through Critical Mixed Reality Practice
- 25 Jun 2024
- Browser Compositions
- 1 Dec 2023
- Future Anxieties: XR in Speculative Critical Design
- 22 Feb 2023
- Future Artefact: A Network of Gestures
- 15 Dec 2020
- Digital Fashion Bodies: Performing Posthumanity In Virtual Reality
- 17 Mar 2020
- Machine Talking: Speculative Conversations with AI through Practice-oriented Research
- 30 Aug 2019
- Strategies for the Design of Reflective Shortform Videogames
- 5 Jul 2019
- Adventures in Vaporwave: A Participant-led Creative Practice Exploration of Everyday Life in a Weird Internet Community
- 7 Mar 2019
- AI Perceptions of Gender
- 21 Nov 2018
- Emotional Information
- 1 May 2018
Teaching interests
Digital, 3D, Interactive and internet art, Play theory, Games, Queerness, Online dating, Sexuality, Cultural subversion, Caricature, Humour, Critical distance, Social media, Internet and digital media politics and criticism
Research interests
Cultural Studies, Film, Television and Digital Media, Communication and Media Studies, Art Theory and Criticism, Visual Arts and Crafts, Design Practice and Management
