For more than 15 years, TDC – Technical Direction Company has played a pivotal role in bringing Vivid Sydney’s most ambitious visual experiences to life, and at Vivid Sydney 2026 the company once again delivered the technological backbone behind some of the festival’s most striking attractions. This year, however, TDC’s involvement extended beyond technical delivery, with the company also stepping into the creative spotlight through its own AI-powered interactive installation, The Daydream Machine.

Located within Darling Harbour’s Pier Street Underpass, The Daydream Machine was created by Creative Technologist Harrison Dow, Alex Rendell and Drew Ferors, transforming the space into a living digital artwork that continuously evolved in response to audience interaction. Using AI systems and live rendering technologies, the installation generated unique experiences for every visitor, creating a dynamic environment that never behaved the same way twice.

Harrison Dow said the project explored how emerging technologies are reshaping artistic expression and public engagement. “Using AI systems and live rendering, the installation reacts and evolves with every person who walks through it, creating an experience that is constantly changing and never behaves the same way twice.”

The significance of interactive works such as The Daydream Machine was highlighted by Vivid Sydney Festival Director Brett Sheehy AO. “Vivid Sydney invites people to participate in creativity and interactive installations like The Daydream Machine, which place visitors at the heart of the artwork. By harnessing cutting-edge technologies such as AI, this work creates ever-changing experiences that encourage exploration, play and imagination. TDC’s advanced technology also underpins projections across the Vivid Light Walk, illustrating how innovation continues to shape Vivid Sydney by unlocking new possibilities for artists and seamlessly bringing together creative vision and technical expertise.”

Beyond its own installation, TDC delivered the technology infrastructure behind 11 major projections spanning Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour. Among the festival’s visual highlights was Lighting of the Sails: Opera Mundi by French artist Yann Nguema across the iconic Sydney Opera House sails. At the Museum of Contemporary Art, Vaiola, created by Samoan-Australian artist Angela Tiatia and Spinifex Group, explored themes of memory, migration and belonging, while Spanish artist Javier Riera’s Fringe of Infinity transformed Customs House with geometric patterns inspired by mathematics found in nature.

Elsewhere, Time: Warped combined laser, light, sound and projection through the Argyle Cut in collaboration with ER Productions, while Spain’s Hotaru Visual Guerrilla transformed Garrison Church with Deep Time, a visual journey through Earth’s 4.54-billion-year ecological evolution. At ASN Clocktower, Spinifex Group’s Circles of Rhythm delivered a vibrant exploration of music, movement and connection.

Additional installations included Afterimage: A Projection Mapped Mural at Tumbalong Park, created live by Sofles in collaboration with US artist Chaske Haverkos, while Canada’s Studio Irregular transformed a monolithic LED cube at Circular Quay into an interactive digital waterfall with As Water Falls. Across Barangaroo House, New Zealand artist David Morton’s Laniakea explored humanity’s place within the vast cosmic web.

Supporting these experiences was TDC’s central master control system, which provided real-time monitoring and operational oversight across installations throughout the city. The company also continued its annual process of updating digital site models to improve projection outcomes and streamline creative workflows for artists.

A critical element of this process involved the use of advanced LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning technology. Ahead of the festival, TDC rescanned both Garrison Church and the Argyle Cut, creating highly accurate digital replicas that could be converted into projection-ready environments. This enabled artists from around the world to develop, test and refine their works against Sydney’s architecture long before arriving on site.

“The process helps artists better understand scale, surfaces, proportions and architectural details while significantly reducing development time and increasing projection accuracy,” said Drew Ferors, Head of Innovation and Training at TDC.

Creative technologist and TDC Technical Project Manager Alex Rendell highlighted the scale of preparation required to deliver the festival’s nightly experiences. “What audiences experience on nights walking around the city takes months of collaboration between Vivid Sydney, individual artists and the team at TDC. Our role is bringing all those creative and technical systems together, from advanced Projection and LED systems through to media servers, TDC Live View monitoring and interactive technologies, so the artwork can come seamlessly to life for everyone’s enjoyment.”

The scale of TDC’s contribution was reflected in the numbers behind the deployment. The company powered 11 projection-mapped installations using Barco ultra-high-resolution laser projectors across nine sites, while ROE Visual LED tiles supported interactive experiences including The Daydream Machine. Across the festival, a staggering 547 million projected pixels illuminated Sydney landmarks each night, supported by more than 1.45 million ANSI lumens of projection brightness. Operations were monitored through 13 live cameras and 11 automation systems, while advanced LiDAR scanning, real-time AI, water-screen projection, LED environments and high-powered laser systems all formed part of the technological ecosystem that operated continuously throughout the festival’s 23-night run.

As artists increasingly embrace technologies ranging from AI and interactive LED environments to advanced projection systems, TDC Founder Michael Hassett believes the relationship between creativity and technology is entering a new phase. “For years technology has been used to support artistic ideas. What we’re now seeing is technology becoming a creative tool for artists and storytellers. It’s responsive, intelligent and capable of creating completely new forms of audience interaction.”

Running from 22 May to 13 June, Vivid Sydney 2026 once again demonstrated why it remains Australia’s largest festival of light, music, ideas and food. For TDC, the event showcased not only its long-standing expertise in delivering large-scale technical infrastructure, but also its growing role in helping shape the future of immersive public experiences through emerging technologies and creative innovation.