In this conversation, we hear how Betty Sargeant develops site-led installations through listening, prototyping, and stakeholder collaboration. We also discuss why delivery skills matter as much as ideas when working in public space. This interview is part of our series that focuses on media artworks in public space.

Betty shares the creative process behind The Fauxrest and what it takes to make media art that can survive real-world conditions, including weather, public interpretation, and the layered expectations of councils, communities, and collaborators.

AI sits in the background of this conversation as a conceptual provocation. Betty explains her “AI robot” persona, and how the claim of an “AI-created” installation sparked rumour, backlash, and debate. Those reactions provide a way into bigger questions about trust, authorship, and agency in public space.

Listen to this podcast to learn about:

• How listening builds trust and reduces friction in public space projects

• Prototyping site-led work through fast sketches, rough models, and material tests

• Why visual mock-ups are essential for keeping stakeholders aligned over time
• How participation shifts when audiences have not opted in

• What it takes to take a public artwork from idea to install, and why project management protects your agency

Chapter

(00:00:00) Finding the site first

(00:00:29) Podcast intro and acknowledgement

(00:01:02) Meet Dr. Betty Sargeant

(00:01:52) Inside the Fauxrest artwork

(00:02:38) Why public art matters

(00:04:19) The AI robot provocation

(00:06:04) Public reactions and town halls

(00:09:38) Fauxrest and Satire

(00:10:33) Performing Betty Sargeant AI

(00:12:22) Backlash and misunderstandings

(00:16:52) Collaboration and stakeholders

(00:20:33) Prototyping and models

(00:26:11) Visual communication for projects

(00:27:24) Three career essentials

(00:28:23) Why project management matters

(00:29:51) Wrap up and thanks

About Betty Sargeant

Betty Sargeant is a Melbourne-based media artist and researcher and co-creative director of the art-technology duo PluginHUMAN with Justin Dwyer. Her practice spans public art and immersive installation, using light, moving image, sound, and sculptural form to place audiences inside multi-sensory experiences. She has received Good Design Awards in 2018 and 2020, and a Victorian Premier’s Design Award in 2017. Her recent project, Betty Sargeant AI, uses satire and performance to question authorship, agency, and the stories we tell about automation.

Links from the podcast with Betty Sargeant

• Visit Betty Sargeant’s website

• Follow Betty Sargeant on Instagram
• Learn more about The Fauxrest
• Learn more about Betty Sargeant AI
• Learn more about PluginHUMAN