Creative Technologist. Playwright. Ochrepunk.#
Matthew Heffernan is a Luritja man, a PhD student, software developer, board member, creative technologist, playwright and poet.
Two of Matt’s most beloved creations are Indigemoji, a sticker set of 90 emojis representing life, culture and language of Arrernte Country in Central Australia and The Robot Dog, a Melbourne Theater Company Production about identity and technology in the future.
When Matt isn’t creating really cool things to put into the world, he’s learning Mandarin.
Matt’s academic journey started with a Bachelor of Information Technology, then a Master of Applied Cybernetics, and he is currently pursuing a PhD in Cybernetics exploring stories of our future and how Indigenous axiology, ontology, and epistemology can inform the development of technological designs and prototypes across speculative and futurist thought.
His positionality includes an ethos of free and open-source software, and a commitment to preserving Indigenous knowledge systems and understanding the narratives that shape this cultural identity. This positionality is deeply intertwined with Matthew’s personal experiences and cultural heritage, growing up between a remote Indigenous community called Papunya, Alice Springs and Darwin.
Areas of Expertise: Software development, Creative technology, Playwriting, Futuring, Ochrepunk.