Volker Kuchelmeister is a media artist, researcher and digital media specialist. He is expert in place representation and has worked extensively with cinematography, interactive systems, immersive visualisation and mediation in the performing arts while exploring and exploding the boundaries of the cinematic image. He was a founding member of several media-based research labs (ZKM Karlsruhe, UNSW iCinema Centre) and his art projects are exhibited internationally.

Kuchelmeister is currently a Research Fellow at the iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research, Researcher at the NIEA National Institute of Experimental Arts and Senior Lecturer at UNSW, College of Fine Arts. Previous appointments include Visiting Research Fellow at ZKM | Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany and Visiting Fellow at the ALiVE - Applied Laboratory For Interactive Visualization Embodiment, City University of Hong Kong. Before moving to Australia Kuchelmeister established the renowned and multi-award winning Multimedia Studio at the ZKM Centre for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Institute for Visual Media, where he worked as Head until 2002. Numerous interactive media projects, museum displays, European Union research project and interactive art publication series which have been produced over the years have earned the ZKM Multimedia Studio an outstanding international reputation.

Kuchelmeister has collaborated as Chief Investigator on multiple Australian Research Council, Australian Council for the Arts and University grants (totaling more then AUD 1.5M), as Senior Research Associate on a number of groundbreaking immersive visualization and artistic projects and as Co-Inventor and joint Intellectual Property holder on the development and implementation of key iCinema technologies and systems such as AVIE Advanced Visualization and Interaction Environment a 360 degree stereoscopic projection environment with motion tracking system and multi-channel spatialised audio engine, iDome hemispherical projection environment and Spherecam 360º video capture system. These platforms form the bases for various immersive applications in the area of data visualisation, virtual heritage, real-time computer generated content, VR training simulations and interactive cinematic experiences. AVIE is deployed across twelfe sites in Australia, Europe, United States and Asia and generated $6.5M in commercial sales. In 2009, the systems won a Gold IDEA Award (International Design Excellence Award) in the Interactive Product Experiences category, one of the most prestigious design awards.

He received international recognition through awards, invited presentations and keynotes and exhibitions in museums, galleries and festivals around the world. Amongst others: Centre Pompidou Paris; The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston; ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe; Applied Laboratory for Interactive Visualisation and Embodiment, City University Hong Kong; Powerhouse Museum Sydney; Museum Victoria; Back of Bourke Exhibition Centre; Un Volcan numérique II, Volcan Scène nationale du Havre, Le Havre; Matière-Lumière, Complexe EDF, Béthune; Shanghai eArts Festival; Experimental Media and Performing Arts Centre, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY.

In the performing arts, Kuchelmeister has collaborated with theatre director Robert Lepage and choreographer/dancer Saburo Teshigawara on large scale multichannel stereoscopic video installations (Fragmentation 2011, Double District 2008, Fig 2,3), with Liz Lecompte and the New York City based experimental theatre company The Wooster Group on a 360º immersive theatre installation (There is still time … brother, 2007), with choreographer William Forsythe on the award winning interactive publication and installation Improvisation Technologies, 1994-2011 and with Japanese traditional theatre performers Mansai and Mansaku Nomura on the award winning DVD publication series Mansaku & Mansai,That's Kyogen (2000).