Domenico Mazza

Thrives on challenging the visual design of digital and physical interfaces with the aim of bringing digital and physical worlds together esemplastically in meaningful ways. Aiming for a future where we all look up and away from screens.

Originally a graphic designer by education, turned web developer and interaction designer by trade, and evolved into a design researcher. Has worked across disciplines, from visual communication, to human-computer interaction, within design studios and for schools of Design, Information Technology and Architecture and Built Environment.

An Italian born in Monza in 1991 of Calabrian ancestry. Raised in Melbourne's north-west. Now lives and works in beautiful Geelong.

Email: hi-d@meni.co

Works

A Spatially Intelligent Arts Centre

2021–22

A suite of digital experiences to assist the visitors, staff and hirers of the Geelong Arts Centre's new campus. The work has been developed as part of a collaboration between the Geelong Arts Centre and Deakin University's MInD Lab, MotionLab and HIVE Lab. For more information see https://gac.mindlab.cloud/ and https://mindlab.cloud/a-spatially-intelligent-arts-centre/

Geelong Digital Outdoor Museum (GDOM)

2021

GDOM https://gdom.mindlab.cloud is a portable museum designed in the thick of pandemic lockdowns to allow users to explore the cultural heritage of significant sites across Geelong, remotely and on-site. GDOM expands on the Matterport platform by allowing quick navigation of large outdoor 3D/360° scans with a digital catalogue and minimap. Released for Geelong Design Week 2021 via live stream.

Computational Costume

2015–19

Computational Costume is a speculative design imagined for a probable future where augmented reality helps form an esemplastic physical/virtual world based on wearable virtual identities. The work presents an antidote to today's computing which requires our attention to be fixed to screens. It was made as part of a practice-based PhD at SensiLab, see https://sensilab.monash.edu/research/computational-costume/

Visualisation design

2014–15

In 2014: as a research assistant at the Immersive Analytics Lab (IALab) to improve the usability of Accordion a data visualisation application for examining and identifying spending trends across business units and locations within a large organisation.

In 2014–15: as a summer intern at Arup Melbourne to design and build a suite of data visualisations for building information modelling, project management and sensor data.

Graphic and web design

2013–15

2014–15: Design and development of the website for Negative Press (2014) http://negativepress.com.au which has been archived by the National Gallery of Australia in PANDORA (Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia) http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-160724. Other clients included Groovin the Moo music festival (2014) and Brook Andrew (2015).

2014: visual identity, collateral and wayfinding system for Monash Art, Design & Architecture (MADA) Open Day 2014 and MADA Now (graduate show) 2014. The wayfinding system was made up of 100+ signs within and outside the faculty buildings. The collaborative project was documented as a short film, see https://vimeo.com/105825388.

2013 & 2014: learning the ropes at a real design studio as a student intern with Andrew Ashton at Work Art Life studios and a range of clients, predominately the arts event Nite Art.

Publications / Exhibitions

GDOM: An Immersive Experience of Intangible Heritage through Spatial Storytelling

2022

Kocaturk, T., Mazza, D., McKinnon, M. and Kaljevic, S. (2022). GDOM: An Immersive Experience of Intangible Heritage through Spatial Storytelling. Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, Special Issue on Advanced Visual Interfaces and Interactions in Cultural Heritage. https://doi.org/10.1145/3498329.

PDF download: https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3498329

Geelong Digital Outdoor Museum (GDOM) – Photogrammetry as the Surface for a Portable Museum

2022

Mazza, D., Kocaturk, T. and Kaljevic, S. (2022). Geelong Digital Outdoor Museum (GDOM) – Photogrammetry as the Surface for a Portable Museum, In Proceedings of 27th International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, with the theme “Post-Carbon”, Sydney, Australia.

PDF download: https://caadria2022.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/74-1.pdf

Bridging the Virtual and Physical: from Screens to Costume

2019

Mazza, D. Bridging the Virtual and Physical: from Screens to Costume. (Monash University, 2019). https://doi.org/10.26180/5d5a214fdf8aa.

Read this exegesis online at https://do.meni.co/phd.

Exhibition of Bridging the Virtual and Physical: from Screens to Costume

2019

Mazza, D. Exhibition of Bridging the Virtual and Physical: from Screens to Costume. (Monash University, 2019). https://doi.org/10.26180/5d4c3457a6875.

The exhibition can be experienced online at https://do.meni.co/phd/exhibition.

Computational Costume v2

2018

First shown at the Design Translations exhibition 3–6 Dec 2018, MADA Gallery, Melbourne. See more at https://do.meni.co/phd/exhibition/#_computational-_costume-v2-video.

Computational Costume v1

2018

First shown at the FameLab 2018 Victoria semi-final, 28 March 2018, Melbourne Museum, as part of a live performance. See more at https://do.meni.co/phd/exhibition/#_computational-_costume-v1.

Congrats to all 12 participants tonight in #FameLabAus @auBritish Vic semi-final @melbournemuseum. Great job in ‘talking science’ supported by @synapse101 @em_sci and hosted by our Doctor of Ceremonies @NirajNLal pic.twitter.com/p8J6v3oUsr

— Dr. Amanda Caples (@Vic_LeadSci) March 28, 2018

#FameLabAus 1 is @DomenicoMazza - Computational Costume! What a show! The costume prop was epic! Well done overcoming those nerves Dom! pic.twitter.com/R0S3jThdt7

— Dr Emma Beckett (@synapse101) March 28, 2018

Computational Costume v0

2018

First shown at No Vacancy Gallery QV in Melbourne, Australia as part of the Melbourne FashionTech collective's showcase during White Night 2018. More info at https://sensilab.monash.edu/news-events/sensilab-white-night/.

Cardboard Poster

2017

Shown in conjunction with the publication at CHI 2017 in Denver:
Mazza, D. Reducing Cognitive Load and Supporting Memory in Visual Design for HCI. the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts 142–147 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1145/3027063.3048430.

sensiLab/Immersive Analytics PhD student @DomenicoMazza is at @sigchi this week with his amazing 3D cardboard poster! #chi2017 pic.twitter.com/KzGnUreLey

— Monash sensiLab (@sensilab_monash) May 12, 2017

.@DomenicoMazza's brilliant cardboard poster at #CHI2017 #cardboardchi pic.twitter.com/zigHiSu3Qo

— David Chatting (@davidchatting) May 10, 2017

Such a fantastic 3D poster design #chi2017 pic.twitter.com/v9vuhhHDm1

— Effie Le Moignan (@Effie_lm) May 10, 2017

what a great #chi2017 "poster"!! :) who made this? couldn't figure it out :( pic.twitter.com/x6H9VITy7X

— Michael Nebeling (@michinebeling) May 11, 2017

FYI @DomenicoMazza flat packed it in hand-luggage all the way from Australia and then toured it across four states in a van

— Tim Dwyer (@immersivecola) May 22, 2017

Reducing cognitive load and supporting memory in visual design for HCI

2017

Mazza, D. Reducing Cognitive Load and Supporting Memory in Visual Design for HCI. the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts 142–147 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1145/3027063.3048430. PDF download.


Publication lists are also available on Google Scholar and ResearchGate.

In Media

A Spatially Intelligent Arts Centre, Geelong Design Week

2022
Recording available at https://vimeo.com/689576393 © Geelong Arts Centre

Information at https://mindlab.cloud/2022/03/18/a-spatially-intelligent-arts-centre/

Treasure hunt goes digital, Geelong Advertiser

2021
Enlarge image to read. September 3 2021, image © Geelong Advertiser.

Intelligent design: giving physical and virtual worlds the human touch, Deakin Disruptr

2021

By Melina Bunting, published September 1 2021, the article is available at https://disruptr.deakin.edu.au/innovation/intelligent-design-giving-physical-and-virtual-worlds-the-human-touch/

Geelong Digital Outdoor Museum Launch Livestream, Geelong Design Week

2021
Recording available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=530urkOEIxc&t

Résumé

I am Dr. Domenico Mazza (b. Monza, 1991) an Australian/Italian citizen currently based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

I am a skilled visual designer of digital user interfaces, data visualisations and wayfinding systems. I thrive on challenging the visual design of digital and physical interfaces.

Experience

I have a wide range of experience as a practicing visual, interaction and web designer for tertiary education and research, design and cultural organisations.

Product Designer

Nov 2022 onward

Direction, research and development
https://mazza.studio

Research fellow

Sep 2020 – Nov 2022

Digital media design research for the built environment.
Mediated Intelligence in Design Lab (MInD Lab), Deakin University School of Architecture and Built Environment
https://mindlab.cloud

Sessional teaching associate / unit coordinator

Feb 2016 – Dec 2017

Teaching and coordination for web design unit.
Monash University, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (MADA)

Freelance visual/interaction designer and web developer

Dec 2013 – Jun 2015

Clients including Groove in the Moo music festival, artistic publisher Negative Press and artist Brook Andrew

Interaction design intern

Dec 2014 – Feb 2015

Interaction and visualisation designer.
Arup, Melbourne, Australia

Graphic design intern

Jun 2014 – Jul 2014

Print and wayfinding graphic designer for faculty open day.
Monash University, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (MADA)

Research assistant

Jun 2014 – Jul 2014

Interaction and visualisation designer.
Immersive Analytics visualisation lab (IALab), Monash University, Faculty of Information Technology

Graphic design intern for Nite Art 2014

May 2014 – Jul 2014

Print and web graphic designer.
For Nite Art, under Work Art Life Studios, Melbourne, Australia

Graphic design intern

Jun 2013 – Jul 2013

Print and wayfinding graphic designer.
Work Art Life Studios, Melbourne, Australia

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science

2015–2019

Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University.
https://do.meni.co/phd/exhibition

Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)(Honours)

2011–2014

Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University
Folio at https://v1.do.meni.co and honours year project at https://printer.lc

Certificates IV in Design and Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft

2010

Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography

Publications

GDOM: An Immersive Experience of Intangible Heritage through Spatial Storytelling

Journal
Paper

Tuba Kocaturk, Domenico Mazza, Malcolm McKinnon, and Sofija Kaljevic.
December 2022, Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3498329

Geelong Digital Outdoor Museum (GDOM) - Photogrammetry as the Surface for a Portable Museum

Conference
Paper

Domenico Mazza, Tuba Kocaturk and Sofija Kaljevic.
April 2022, CAADRIA 2022
https://caadria2022.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/74-1.pdf

Bridging the Virtual and Physical: from Screens to Costume

PhD
Exegesis

Domenico Mazza.
August 2019, Monash University
https://do.meni.co/phd
https://doi.org/10.26180/5d5a214fdf8aa

Reducing Cognitive Load and Supporting Memory in Visual Design for HCI

Conference
Abstract

Domenico Mazza.
May 2017, CHI 2017 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
https://doi.org/10.1145/3027063.3048430

Exhibitions and Performance

PhD exhibition

27–31 May 2019

SensiLab (Monash University), Melbourne, Australia https://do.meni.co/phd/exhibition

Design Translations exhibition

3–6 Dec 2018

MADA Gallery, Melbourne, Australia. Information: https://www.monash.edu/mada/events/2018/design-translations. Showing Computational Costume v2

FameLab 2018 Victoria semi-final

28 Mar 2018

Melbourne Museum. Performing Computational Costume v1

FashionTech collective exhibition

17 Feb 2018

No Vacancy Gallery QV, Melbourne, Australia during White Night 2018. Showing Computational Costume v0

CHI 2017 student research competition

8–11 May 2017

CHI 2017 conference, Denver, CO, USA. Showing and presenting Cardboard Poster

Talks

A Spatially Intelligent Arts Centre panel discussion

18 Mar 2022

At Geelong Arts Centre, Geelong Design Week 2022. Recording https://vimeo.com/689576393

At Monash Student Talk

17 Apr 2013

Invited to present as a visual communication student to prospective students.

Brighton Bay Exit Student Talk

18 Mar 2013

Invited to present as a graduate of Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography, to 2013 students.

Brighton Bay Exit Student Talk

8 Aug 2011

Invited to present as a graduate of Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography, to 2011 students.

Grants

A Spatially Intelligent Arts Centre

2022: $155,000
2021: $75,000

As researcher. From The Trustee for Geelong Performing Arts Centre Trust

Geelong Arts Industry Commissions Program

2021: $20,000

As co-lead. From City of Greater Geelong, for (In)tangible Heritage of Greater Geelong: Public City Space as Virtual Museum

Scholarships

Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship / Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) scholarship

2015–2018

Australian Government

PhD Top-up scholarship

2015–2018

Arup Melbourne

Volunteering

Panel member

Aug 2020–2024

City of Melbourne grants and sponsorship external assessment panel. Information: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/governance-transparency/Pages/grants-and-sponsorships.aspx

Audio/visual assistant

Mar 2014

At Codex Australia artist books symposium

Awards

Perimeter Books Social Engagement Award in Visual Communication

Nov 2013

Awarded by Monash University, Art, Design & Architecture (MADA) at the 2013 MADA Now graduate exhibition http://www.artdes.monash.edu/gradshow2013/#domenico-mazza

AGDA Award

Oct 2012

Awarded in student category at AGDA Australian Design Biennale 2012 for Neglected https://v1.do.meni.co/neglected-specimen/ and Removed https://v1.do.meni.co/the-removalists/

AGDA Award

Nov 2010

Awarded by Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography

Brighton Bay Award for Excellence

Nov 2010

Awarded by Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography for most professional student at Brighton Bay Art, Design and Photography in 2010

Chris Connell Design Recognition Award

Nov 2010

Awarded by Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography

Vocational Pathways Acquisition Award

Nov 2010

Awarded by Brighton Bay Art, Design & Photography

Recognition

FameLab 2018 Victoria semi-finalist

Mar 2018

British Council Australia. Media release: https://www.britishcouncil.org.au/sites/default/files/famelabvic_semi_finals_media_release_2018.pdf

agIdeas NewStar Award finalist

2011, 2012 & 2013

agIdeas / Design Foundation (Australia)

AGDA Australian Poster Biennale 2013

May 2013

Finalist for 'Perpetual Loss' addressing the theme 'A Mother's Life is Precious' https://v1.do.meni.co/perpetual-loss/

© Domenico Mazza