BRETT LEAVY

Brett Leavy is a digital artist, immersive heritage specialist, and a descendant of the Kooma people of South East Queensland. For over three decades, he has pioneered the concept of "Digital Aboriginality," constructing a body of work that functions not merely as art, but as a functional "Virtual Heritage Time Machine." As the founder of Bilbie XR Labs, Leavy’s practice is dedicated to the "Virtual Songlines"—an iterative, continent-spanning digital twin of pre-colonial Australia that allows users to walk in the footsteps of ancestors, grounded in the authenticity of traditional lore and the precision of geospatial data.

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In recent years, Leavy’s practice has morphed into a rigorous exploration of the expansion of the colonial frontier, moving from traditional ecological knowledge reconstructions to the simulation of contested terrains. This shift was most visibly realised in Trailblazers (2024), a monumental projection on the sails of the Sydney Opera House (https://sydneyspectaculars.net/history-dawn-reflection/). Here, using high-fidelity "Metahuman" technology, Leavy animated the resistance leaders Nanbarry, Barangaroo, Patyegarang, and the warrior Pemulwuy. This work did not just depict history; it re-staged the "Frontier Wars" on the very architecture of the colony, asserting the enduring presence of these figures in the modern imagination.

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The presentation of Jalumm Ngahriyan: The Water Breathes is a living and emerging map of the Tallebudgera River. Through the VSDT presentation a 3D geospatial map the audience can 'walk' through time on the living, breathing water systems (Jalumm) connected through our landscape.​

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This presentation is the first steps towards building a 3D geospatial and cultural map of the Gold Coast region​.