Petterd's art practice explores new methods of evoking felt corporeal experiences and related emotional states of mind. Most of his work has focused on experiences related to being in, or close to, water. Recent works are developing into an exploration of more abstract experiences (e.g., instead of the experience of floating in water, a work might now be more focused on floating as a state of mind.) A strong element running throughout this work has been the exploration of simple interactions that are often based on stillness, motion, and touch. He works with video, sound, light, and touchable objects.

Petterd completed a PhD from the Tasmanian  School of Art, The University of Tasmania, in 2002. The title of his thesis was ‘Liquid Sensations: Evoking sensory experiences with interactive installation art.’ Since then, he has been an artist in residence at STEIM in the Netherlands and taught at TAFE Tasmania. He currently runs Sprout Labs.  His work has been included in events in Australia, the USA, and across Europe, including as part of Siggraph Art Gallery and ‘Fathoms’ at Hatton Gallery in the United Kingdom. He has had solo shows at CAST and INFLIGHT in Hobart."