Mickey van Olst brings artistic judgment and technical experience to ideas still taking shape. A creative practice that connects disciplines and finds direction in unfamiliar territory.

Mickey van Olst is a creative director and technologist working in spatial and new media design. He shapes concepts and guides their development, connecting artistic intent with technical implementation. His work spans collaborations with brands, artists and studios, including onformative, FIELD.IO and ART+COM.

With a background in art and design, Mickey approaches technology as a medium for creative exploration. Prototyping and experimentation help him test ideas, discover possibilities and refine the direction of a project. In his spatial work, people’s presence, attention and choices become part of the narrative.

He creates immersive experiences and interactive systems through creative coding and real-time system development. Custom electronics connect the digital and physical parts of his work, bringing light and movement to art installations, bespoke devices and instruments.

Working within existing teams or leading projects, Mickey brings together collaborators as needed and guides the work through development and deployment on site. He moves comfortably from agency and event-based projects to longer-term commissions for exhibitions and cultural institutions.

TouchDesigner has been central to his practice for nearly a decade. Alongside commissioned work, he develops tools such as AML, a family of AI/ML operators for macOS, and chainGPU, a real-time physics simulator. He also builds custom AI workflows for his own practice and commissioned projects.

As co-director of Exploring Technology at Hyper Island in Stockholm, Mickey helped introduce more than 400 students to creative technology. He regularly teaches advanced topics at The NODE Institute in Berlin.

Based in Haarlem / Amsterdam, available for commissions and collaborations worldwide.