DATFEST

Join us for DATFEST, a day-long celebration of media art and creative technology in NYC, hosted by DATLABNYC.
We’re excited to welcome Greg and Isabelle from Derivative as special guests!

Thursday, April 17 free evening welcoming / preview night party @ Chemistry Creative Room 305. Registration Link: https://partiful.com/e/lmkYrIPCkAmiF9quTcRf

Friday, April 18 is a full-day experience featuring presentations, workshops, and community showcases, across both of Chemistry Creative’s immersive venues Room 305 + Room 301. The night will end with a closing party featuring live AV performances (more info coming soon). Get the full line-up here: https://datlabnyc.com/event

🎟 Workshop Room Access & Tickets
$250  Company Pass (helps fund the event, organizers and artists): 10 available
$125  Full Day Pass @ Room 305 (Advanced / Intermediate) + Evening Event: 35 available
$125  Full Day Pass @ Room 301 (Beginner) + Evening Event: 25 available
$30 Evening Pass Only: 50 available

Students can use the code: STUDENT20 to get a discount on tickets, but must present a valid student ID at the door.

During the day, we will be holding TouchDesigner workshops in both rooms. A full-day pass guarantees you a seat, desk, and power outlet in the room you choose. You’re welcome to move between spaces, but seating is only guaranteed in your selected room. Desk seating is limited and will be assigned / prioritized to ticket holders. 

💻 Full Day Pass @ Room 305 (Advanced / Intermediate) 11 AM - 5PM Workshops
Purchasing a Advanced / Intermediate Pass guarantees you a seat+desk+outlet to attend the workshops throughout the day in room 305. 

State Machines for Fun and Profit: Matt Ross (@mattross.live)
Use state machines to manage complex interactivity and animations.

Advanced TouchDesigner Tool Building: Dan Molnar (@function.str) & Lyell Hintz (@dotsimulate)
Build modular, reusable tools and extensions using Python and best practices.

Grid-Based Design: Simon Alexander-Adams (@polyhop)
Design generative UI layouts using a custom grid-snapping tool for stylized 3D interfaces.

🌱 Full Day Pass @ Room 301 (Beginner) 11 AM - 5PM Workshops
Purchasing a Beginner Pass guarantees guarantees you a seat+desk+outlet to attend the workshops throughout the day in room 301.

Learn the fundamentals of TouchDesigner and collaboratively build an immersive hand-tracking installation. Your visuals will become part of a shared, large-scale interactive projection experience in Room 301’s 3-wall gallery during the evening.

Intro to TouchDesigner – Torin Blankensmith (@blankensmithing)
Learn the basics of TouchDesigner: operators, generative visuals, and building your first patches.

Sculpting Visuals – Pao Olea (@pao.olea)
Playfully explore 3D geometry and animation using SOPs, with a focus on experimentation over precision.

Interactive Installations with MediaPipe – Torin Blankensmith + Dom Scott (@domscott.art)
Use hand tracking and motion input to turn your visuals into a real-time, large-scale interactive installation.


🌙 Evening Breakdown
The main event is Friday evening @ 305 with featured presentations and AV performances + installations + workshop showcase in Room 301.

6:00–7:00 – Doors Open: Room 301 beginner showcase
7:00–7:30 – Welcome Talk by DATLABNYC & Chem Creative

Talks + Presentations
• 7:30 – GumGum Studio – An Approach to Lighting Control BUSKER:
a custom system for running installations like a single lighting fixture in TouchDesigner.

• 8:00 – Andre Lira – Building Physical Installations & Inter-Software Communication
TD with Ableton & MadMapper for responsive, fabrication-based interactive work.

• 8:30 – PointShader – TBD
More info coming soon.

• 9:00 – Greg Hermanovic – New Features Coming in TouchDesigner
A sneak peek at upcoming TD tools and workflows from Derivative’s CEO.

• 9:30 – Derivative Q&A
Talkback with Greg Hermanovic and Isabell Rousett (Derivative).

🎵 AV Performances (10PM–Late)
• Reckoner x Kastakila – As Above So Below
Glitchy visual storytelling around cultural memory and media decay.

• R Tyler – Telling My Kids This Was Vibe Coding
Livecoded, generative techno from San Francisco.

• Luke Hildreth x Andre Lira – LaserJuice.003
Immersive audio/visual collaboration with lasers and mapped environments.


More information + final schedule will be released as soon as we confirm the details. Reach out to datlabnyc@gmail.com if you have any questions !