ColliderFest

Join astrophysicist and author Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith on a thrilling ride through our cosmos. Meet objects from the tiniest to the colossal and learn about the strangest and most beautiful things our night sky has to offer. From quarks and atoms to black holes, supergiant stars and planetary nebulae, this journey will dazzle, amaze, and amuse astronomy-curious audiences aged 6+. Try your hand at inventing your own constellations (shapes in the stars) and design your own far-away solar systems. After the session, Lisa will hold a book signing where her books will be available for sale.

Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith is an academic at the University of New South Wales. She had spent much of her career as an astrophysicist, researching the birth and death of stars and working at astronomical observatories around the world. After serving for five years as Australia's Women in STEM Ambassador, she now spends her time on STEM education for young people and writing science books for children and adults.

Ever designed a cannon that blasts seeds? Or a robot bird that 3D prints habitats for native animals? Have you built a compost firing catapult that fits on your mountain bike? Or sat on a walking toilet that plants forests? Inventor Steve Mushin is working on all of these projects, and more. He’s illustrated a book of 100+ inventions to transform cities, called ULTRAWILD – and you’re invited to join the engineering team.

Come and work with Steve to design and make architectural scale models of high-tech jungle city buildings.

Steve Mushin is an industrial designer and author who collaborates with scientists to solve big problems – like what can be done with explosive cow gas, or how to make bikes fly, or cities transform into jungles as fast as possible.

Steve is the author of Ultrawild: An Audacious Plan to Rewild Every City on Earth – described by The Guardian as "a brain-meltingly intricate and inspiring compendium of the gigantic ideas needed to repair the planet", and by Forbes as a "…densely illustrated week-long TED Talk, catapulting ideas in all directions."

Meet Fauna, an enchanting creature born of ancient mycelium, the hidden network that threads beneath every forest floor. She is part plant, part animal and carries the voices of the trees. Fauna shares their stories with quiet wonder, guiding curious minds to reflect on our place in the natural world and how we might protect it.

As she moves through the space, the air fills with a dreamy soundscape. Trees sing, and a shimmering swarm of fireflies dance in her wake. The atmosphere is meditative and magical, inviting you to slow down, listen and rediscover your sense of connection to nature.

Erth is a company fuelled by beautiful accidents; a team of creators, makers and performers pushing the limits of design, content and experience.

For over thirty-five years Erth’s puppetry-based theatrical productions and innovative community projects have challenged and inspired audiences around the world, driven by a special interest in natural history, First Nations stories, sociology and urban mythology.

Step back in time and soar through the skies with Sky Sisters, a lively performance celebrating the life of Australia’s first female commercial pilot, Nancy-Bird Walton!

Set to reimagined Andrews Sisters-style swing hits, this trio brings you the story of a daring young girl who defied the odds, barnstormed across the country, became the beloved “Angel of the Outback” transporting sick children and nurses to remote communities, and inspired generations of women in aviation. From high-flying adventures to WWII leadership and beyond, every song tells a piece of her incredible journey.

Created and performed by Josipa Draisma, Mara Knezevic, Sarah Gattellari and Kali Gillen on Saxophone. Musical arrangement by Mathew Colucci.

Josipa Draisma is an award-winning interdisciplinary performing artist and cultural leader working across theatre, music, cabaret, and comedy. Her original work has been programmed across national comedy and arts festivals in Australia including Sydney Comedy Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Melbourne Cabaret Festival and Adelaide Fringe Festival, and has toured regionally across NSW.

Mara Knežević is a theatre-maker, performer, and singer-songwriter. She co-creates music under MARA DUKE and has released music on major platforms since 2015. She is an ongoing member of the female/non-binary collective All Girl Electronic based in Parramatta. Her credits include the Helpmann Award nominated dance-theatre work PLAYLIST, The Hen House, and most recently Kauboj at Riverside Theatres.

Sarah Gattellari is an Australian-Uruguayan-Italian artist born and raised in Western Sydney. With a passion for dance, acting and mindset, Sarah acts as a NSW Ambassador for the RISE Musical Theatre Program which places mental health and mindset at the forefront for young performers. Her theatrical credits include 'Tuân’s Party', 'Piano Lounge' and 'Sitcom' at PYT Fairfield and in a stage adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Emma' for Ruby Productions.

Kali Gillen is a Sydney-based multi-instrumentalist and graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. She performs regularly with Hot Potato Band, 343 Brass Band, and Lyre Byrdland, and has toured and recorded with Lime Cordiale and performed with Hilltop Hoods on their Never Coming Home Australian tour. Her work spans jazz, theatre, and international touring, including performances with the Sydney Theatre Company, Come From Away, and a 2024 China tour alongside Broadway artists Diana Huey, Christine Dwyer, and Nic Coleman. In the jazz scene, she has appeared at the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival and will release her debut EP, Armour, in 2026.

Step inside the human body and reimagine it as a working factory! Kids will explore how different body parts function – from the heart as a power station to the brain as a control room. Using craft materials inspired by mechanical parts, participants will design and build their own “body factories” with moving components. Working together, these creations will be assembled into a giant futuristic body with interactive, movable features.

Anney Bounpraseuth is an Australian-born artist of Laotian heritage whose work explores identity, memory, and self-invention. Her vivid, kitsch aesthetic is deeply rooted in her childhood home, lovingly decorated by her mother with fake flowers, imitation antiques, and mismatched textiles. Drawing on these early influences, Anney reinterprets matriarchal traditions through drawing, painting, craft, and textiles as a way of asserting a self-defined identity. Her current practice centres on the joyful visualisation of secular spirituality, imagining a present-day paradise shaped by personal mythology and cultural reinvention.
 

Discover the art and science of paper folding in this hands-on STEAM workshop. Inspired by origami, engineering, and biomimicry, participants will explore how patterns, symmetry, and geometry come together to create strong, beautiful structures. After a short introduction to the concepts behind mathematical paper folding, you’ll design your own surface patterns and transform them into a glowing Lumifold lamp. Choose your level of challenge and bring your creation to life as it lights up – combining creativity, problem-solving, and a whole lot of fun.

Current Chief Academic Officer at Whitecliffe Institute of Creative Arts and Technology as well as Co-Director of STEAMpop, Dr. Melissa Silk works across a variety of learning contexts to enhance the status of STEAM. She is passionate about exploring connections between imagination, making and mathematics. Melissa is part of several unique collaborations, creating and writing about STEAM experiences while also engaged in higher education academia.

Co-facilitator of Lumifold, Annette Mauer believes that integrated STEAM programs will result in new ways of thinking and an increased awareness of the value of the arts in society. With a background in secondary education and museums, she has developed art, design, and creative thinking programs for primary and secondary students. During her time at Object: Centre for Craft and Design she facilitated design thinking programs for the corporate and cultural sectors. 

Step into a powerful, hands-on installation that transforms plastic waste into a growing city of structures and stories. Using discarded materials, participants will help build a collective artwork that reimagines waste as a resource — while exploring the impact of plastic on our environment. As the city takes shape, it reveals a bigger question: what kind of future are we creating? Creative, collaborative, and thought-provoking, Recycle City invites you to rethink consumption, sustainability, and the role we all play in shaping the world around us.

Louise O’Brien is a Registered Architect in NSW (No. 11678) and the founder of AFK School, where she has been teaching online since 2020. She is also the founder of Apsara Collective, a highly regarded residential architecture and interior design studio, and brings over twenty years of experience working across multiple sectors both locally and internationally. Passionate about the power of design to inspire and empower young people, Louise lectures at a tertiary level, teaches Interior Design at TAFE NSW, and leads Architecture for Kids School from Sydney. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Architecture from UTS, a Diploma of Interior Design, and a Master of Art (Sculpture & Performance) from the University of Sydney. A dedicated advocate for creativity, sustainability, and education, Louise is a member of the Living Future Institute of Australia and is known for her generosity, openness, and commitment to a greener future.

Holding hands becomes a quiet ritual of trust and collaboration, dissolving boundaries between strangers and proposing that even the smallest gesture can spark a powerful current of unity. Here, the body becomes a conduit for sound and meaning.

Closing Circuits is a participatory sound installation that comes alive through human interaction. Two hand sculptures are placed at a distance, inviting audience members to bridge the space between them. When two or more people join hands and each touches one sculpture, a circuit is completed, triggering an evolving sonic environment. As more individuals connect, the circuit expands into a human chain, amplifying the shared experience.

The work invites reflection on relation, cooperation, and community. Its sonic composition blends joyful vocal expressions, rhythms, and cultural traces from diverse communities across Sydney, expressing happiness, celebration, and togetherness. These collective voices are interwoven with elements from the natural environment, forming a hybrid auditory landscape where human and natural elements coexist, echoing the richness and diversity of place.

Juan Guillermo Robayo Gomez is a Colombian artist with international training, supported by scholarships from the British Council and Fundación Carolina to study in the UK and Spain. He has exhibited at Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid and created award-winning series including Devuélveme La Noche! and Airuna. In Australia, during his PYT Fairfield residency, he developed The Call of Fire with Indigenous and Aboriginal elders, exploring ancestral memory. Recognised among NSW’s top 20 cultural leaders by DARTS, his work Dancing with the Roots, supported by CuriousWorks, Fairfield Council and the Colombian government, was presented at the Sydney Opera House. In 2026, he performed at the Sydney Biennale as part of Centro Cultural Ambulante.

Gabriel Toro is a Colombian Sound Designer and Filmmaker, Sound Engineer. He graduated from Universidad de San Buenaventura Medellín, with film studies at Anglia Ruskin University, UK. He has worked as a sound designer on more than 60 audiovisual productions, including feature films, short films, animation, and TV series, with notable credits such as Las Razones del Lobo (Colombia), Caballo de Acero (Colombia), and Partes de Una Casa (Mexico). He has also released darkwave and experimental music under the alias GARAJES. His debut album Las Formas (2022) reached 28,000 listeners across 68 countries during its release year.

Sergio Arcos is a plastic artist, photographer, and audiovisual creator. Sergio draws inspiration from science, space-time theories, and philosophical and psychological concepts. His work fuses futuristic architecture, surreal landscapes, animalistic elements and precise geometry—expanding reality through observation and imagination.

From early surreal oil paintings to light-driven mechanical installations, Sergio pushes the boundaries of form, anatomy and transformation. His works have been showcased internationally, including at the Cannes Film Festival, the Louvre Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art.

Put the power in your hands in this interactive experience by the STEAM Council. Turn a hand crank to generate energy and watch a model of Bradfield’s first building — the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility — come to life, alongside a moving plane. As you test your stamina, you’ll discover how kinetic energy can be transformed into motion in a fun and engaging way. Your energy sparks something bigger!

Pedro Luis Barrientos Rios is a final-year Mechanical Engineering student at UNSW who combines technical skills with creative collaboration. His work spans engineering and the arts, including directing theatre productions and exploring immersive design inspired by events like VIVID.

Ebony Ryan-Miners is a fourth-year Industrial Design (Honours) student at Western Sydney University. With a background in dance, she combines creativity and human-centred design to develop inclusive, accessible experiences, contributing to projects that focus on connection and community.

Brandon Hornjik is a second-year Bachelor of Science (Advanced) student at the University of Sydney, majoring in Mathematics and Astrophysics. Inspired by science fiction, he explores the connection between science and creativity through community projects, workshops, and arts events, aiming to bring imagination and innovation together.

Dive into the hidden world inside your body in this creative, community-driven art project. Inspired by the science of the gut microbiome and its connection to the brain, artists Pat Pillai and Mary Hayman invite participants to knit or crochet their own unique “bacteria” forms. As each piece is added, the artwork grows into a vibrant, evolving installation – bringing together science, creativity, and collaboration in a playful and unexpected way.

Pat Pillai is a Sutherland Shire–based artist known for her collaborative, community-driven installations that combine art, science, and craft. With a background in science and an interest in psychology and art therapy, she founded Neural Knitworks, an award-winning project exploring neuroscience through textile art. Pat has led workshops across Australia and internationally, creating engaging, hands-on experiences that connect creativity, learning, and community.

Mary Hayman is an artist and educator. Her latest artwork was made in collaboration with the Gut Feelings Community Art Project. It is a large-scale, soft sculpture installation that brings people together to explore gut health through craft. She often works with recycled materials and accessible techniques like knitting and stitching to promote both artistic expression and well-being. Mary has collaborated on many community art initiatives with artists Pat Pillai and Rita Pearce, including Neural Knitworks, The Science of Slow Stitching, Footy Neurons, and Heritable Acts. Her work is rooted in sustainability, inclusion, and translating scientific research into visual art.

Meet Robodog – a cutting-edge robotic companion made by the Western Sydney University team. Demonstrated throughout the day, this agile machine showcases the future of robotics in action, from movement and sensing to real-world applications in industry and research. Drop by to see how advanced technology is shaping the way we work, explore, and innovate.

Beholder is an interactive audiovisual project by the STEAM Council, exploring the subjectivity of the camera lens and how perspective shapes what we value. Through creative prompts, participants are invited to reflect on their relationship to the future –  particularly in the context of Bradfield’s development – by capturing responses using craft or digital photography.

By bringing these individual moments together, Beholder asks: how can a single act of documenting reveal so many different ways of seeing the world?

Gerard-Lachlan Abadines recently completed his Bachelor of Communication (Screen Media) degree at Western Sydney University. His filmmaking explores identity and community, including documentary work on the Filipino-Australian experience in Blacktown. With a background in community engagement through Headspace Mount Druitt, he uses storytelling to amplify diverse voices and celebrate Western Sydney.

Safa Al-Bekaa is a final-year Occupational Therapy student at Western Sydney University with a strong background in arts and community projects. She has contributed to initiatives like Stories From Here and performs with PYT, using creative practice to connect health, storytelling, and community engagement.

Ace Jeremy Buchanan is a third-year Screen Media student at Western Sydney University, creating work that blends storytelling with real-world impact. His documentary Your Freshwater Neighbour highlights conservation efforts in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, reflecting his passion for environmental storytelling and community collaboration.

Angeleeca Ali is a third-year Screen Media student at Western Sydney University who uses storytelling to connect communities and explore innovation. Her work combines research, interviews, and reporting to make complex ideas accessible and engaging.

Connect with nature! Reach out and touch real plants to play these unique organic instruments. The Musical Plants are new experimental instruments that combine organic matter and bespoke digital sensors developed by Playable Streets. For the first-time these plant-based instruments are available for the public to play and create new live compositions. Swelling with textural waves and phasing rhythmic movement, The Musical Plants will be unlike any musical instrument you have ever seen, heard or played. The Musical Plants installation is open to everyone to interact with, explore, and make new collaborative compositions.

Playable Streets (PS) is a participatory arts company creating invitations to play and collaborate in public places. We are a collective of theatre makers, composers, engineers, visual artists and interaction designers at the forefront of contemporary arts practice. We utilise technology, design, dramaturgy and sound to build environments that encourage norm~bending connections. PS is driven to investigate ways of building connection, bridging social gaps and confronting perceived differences through experiments in performance and installation. PS works have toured nationally and internationally, engaging participants of all ages and abilities.

Driving to Bradfield City is the best option. There is parking on-site at the First Building. Public transport to Bradfield City is not yet available.

Yes, this is a free event for all to attend. Tickets are limited so make sure to register here.

Yes, there will be food trucks for people to purchase food.

Yes, this event is suitable for all ages, including young children and teenagers. 

Yes, the First Building is wheelchair accessible. Please let the team know if you have accessibility needs we can help with.

No, pets are not alllowed at this event.