Julian Stadon

Julian Stadon is an Australian artist, designer, curator, researcher and educator currently working as a Lecturer at the University of Art and Design Linz in Austria. He is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy through the Doctoral College, with a focus on Post-Biological Identity and Augmentation Aesthetics. Stadon is also the Founder/Director of The Mixed and Augmented Reality Art Organisation (MARArt.org) established in 2019, and has held various leadership positions in the field since 2009.

His educational background includes a Master of Electronic Art from Curtin University, completed on September 19, 2008, with a thesis focusing on "Understanding Identity Construction and Participation in Virtual Worlds Through Mixed Reality Hypersurfacing." Prior to this, he completed a Bachelor of Fine Art with a double major in Sculpture and AudioVisual Art.

Stadon's research centers on the intersection of physical and digital identities, exploring what he terms "Post-Biological Identity" through artistic practice. His work investigates how humans are "bio-digitally convergent" through the concept of "Data Bodies" - entities that exist simultaneously as both material and virtual. He has developed a bespoke practice-based, iterative methodology called "Augmentation Aesthetics" which focuses on entangling the physical and metaphysical through liminal artistic practice. This research expands into areas of immersive media art and Bio-Art, examining how these fields perpetuate extended human experiences of self.

His artistic output demonstrates a clear trajectory from object-oriented approaches to social engagement with Art, through Mixed Reality, Immersion and Identity, culminating in his PhD research on Augmentation Aesthetics, Embodied Art and Post-Biological Identity. More recently, his work has expanded into "Augmenting Ecological Aesthetics," indicating an evolving research direction that integrates ecological concerns with digital embodiment.

Stadon has established The Mixed and Augmented Reality Art Organisation (MARArt.org) as a platform for socially engaged development and presentation of his research outcomes. This organization serves as a pivot from historical examples and recent iterations of augmentation toward a more expansive contemporary understanding of the field, with documented activities including the MARart Aesthetics Panel at ISMAR in Fukuoka (2015).

His creative practice includes numerous significant projects such as "Data Body Trader," "Fecal Alchemy (2022)," "TeleAgriCulture," "SWAN PANDA Performance," and "Yima," which collectively demonstrate his commitment to exploring the boundaries between material and virtual existence through artistic inquiry. These works have been presented at venues including MAAT in Lisbon and FACT Liverpool.