contact
vanderzeil@freshfrees.com
previous clients & collaborators
1tbsp, 700feel, A3 Festival, A.Girl, Adobe, Andy Garvey, ARCAN, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Aurora Halal, Bag Raiders, Bootleg Baby, Botsu, Charlotte de Witte, Chase Atlantic, Close Counters, Club 77, Daine, Darkroom Co, David Grey, Dust, EPROM, Etapp Kyle, FBi Radio, Field Day, Fritz, Future Classic, Gauci, Gabriel LCR, Haiku Hands, Hard Summer, Ioakim, Index, Jesswar, Joeyy, John Summit, Kilat, Killbourne, Left Hand, Lolapalooza, Machine Girl, Mason Dane, Mietze Conte, Neesha Alexander, Ninajirachi, Nuxe, NLV Records, Powerhouse Museum, Roza Terenzi, Seoul Community Radio, Shady Nasty, Shed Theory, Sidney Phillips, Soichi Terada, SOLSA, Sony Music, Teether & Kuya Neil, Vallis Alps, VIVID, Việt Tài Chính, Wata Igarashi, Wildlands Festival
services offered
3D Animation | Analog Video | Artist Management | Directing | Graphic Design | Location Scouting | Social Media Management | Tour Management | VHS Treatment | Video Editing | Videography | Visual Workshops | VJ
about
Naarm (Melbourne) based visual artist Passive Kneeling (aka Tom Vanderzeil) is part of the backbone of Australia’s music scene. A multidisciplinary artist, he’s worked with both Australian and international artists to extend and enhance the sonic worlds they’re creating on stage through both custom-made and collaged imagery that sticks in the minds of gig goers long after the last note rings out. Previous collaborators include Japan’s Wata Igarashi and Soichi Terada, Berlin’s Etapp Kyle and Charlotte De Witte, as well as Australian festival mainstays Bag Raiders, Ninajirachi, 1tbsp, Vallis Alps, Roza Terenzi and many more.
Carefully mapping out and creating visuals to suit the needs and desires of individual artists, Passive Kneeling weaves together dystopian yet hypnotic backdrops, building out landscapes and cities that exist purely for a fleeting moment during a live gig. He’s VJ’d both in Australia and overseas, at festivals like Hard Summer, Field Day, Wildlands and Lollapalooza, captivating music lovers worldwide.
VJing isn’t his only connection with the music scene, however — he’s also become a go-to music video producer, working with some of Australia’s most eclectic and exciting artists to bring their music into a visual space. His videography builds on the ideas expressed through his VJing, at times creating glossy, psychedelic video treatments, while at others creating raw and rugged clips that give the artist’s music an undeniable edge. He’s crafted unforgettable music videos for the likes of Bag Raiders, Left Hand (VN), HEVA (LKR), Bayang (Tha Bushranger), Sidney Phillips and more, deftly matching and refining the way some of Australia’s most innovative artists approach music videos. He’s also been instrumental in the way underground rap collective stealthyn00b express themselves visually, playing a particularly important role in the development of Naarm-via-Bundaberg MC Lil Ket.
testimonies
“I first met Tom through his work on a 3D venue mapping gig for a VIVID show I was running. When Bag Raiders needed a fresh new look for their live show visuals, I knew that Tom was the perfect fit and his style matched the aesthetic we were after. Not only did he deliver the assets in record breaking speed, but the quality of the content was exceptional and we have had the luxury of adding Tom to our tour party as Bag Raiders’ official VJ. We love him!”
Paul Stix / Bag Raiders Manager / Undr Ctrl
“Tom is one of the most creative people I've worked with in the industry. Using his totally unique vision, high quality execution and kind spirit he brought our vision to life in a way we couldn't have come close to alone.”
Vallis Alps
“Passive Kneeling is an efficient, succinct and extremely talented video artist. He is able to expertly integrate his work into a musician's vision and tastefully set the mood of the event.”
Eastern Margins
press + extra things XD
mixmag artist spotlight
stinga tour diary
recompost mix
deep scan technologies (music label)
