Crew
Robin Cooke - Artistic Director
Born in 1952, Robin is co-founder of the Mutoid Waste Co. formed in London in 1984. The group has since toured extensively, specialising in large scale sculptural Art and Event Installations, primarily utilising `waste’ materials.
Some of the many areas in which he has worked include: Major Rock Concert events including Jean Michelle Jarre and Eric Clapton. TV studio and set design. Glastonbury Rock Festival. Many varied product Promotional and Music Videos. He has created major art installations in cities such as Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Since arriving in Australia in 1995 he has worked with many events and productions, including Moomba Festival, Big West Festival, Confest, Earthcore, Rainbow Serpent Festival and Exodus Festival. He has created an `ABC’ TV featured `Mad-Max’ style Sculpture Park in the South Australian desert and developed a unique computer controlled synchro-harmonised Fire Show that includes a tune-playing `Pyrophone’, sequenced radio controlled flame throwers and most recently a unit to reproduce the 8 coloured flames of the Rainbow Spectrum.
He has long felt the necessity to take `Australian Art’ to a broader audience overseas and is keen to `premier’ the massive 100 meter long `Birthing Woman’ Installation at Burning Man Festival in the USA, one of the largest open air Art Festivals in the World, in August 2011. He then further intends to tour the Installation in the USA and subsequently in Europe before returning to Australia.
Naretha Williams – Performance Coordinator,
A proud Wiradjuri hybrid born and based in Melbourne, is a talented professional with over 20 years experience in the arts and entertainment industry, beginning her performance craft in circus in 1984. An experienced performer, production tech and artistic creator, she has worked on a vast range of projects, events and festivals including circus, theatre, dance, puppetry, film, television, installation and music. In 2001 she graduated fro the VCA with a Grad. Dip in Dramatic Art (Production & Events Management). She has toured nationally and internationally for both Indigenous and non-indigenous productions and in 2008 won the Uncle Bob Maza VIPA Award for her Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Indigenous Theatre.
A unique hybrid artist, Naretha is currently in production for her first solo show, and is focused on skills in writing, sound composition, video art and performance creation. She works on a casual basis at ACMI as a Digital Storytelling Workshop Co-ordinator and has recently been accepted into a Bachelor of Arts Honours year in Performance Studies at Victoria University, exploring hybridity in the contexts of identity, art and culture.
Erron Boswell - Dome Specialist
Erron Boswell, aka “Spyda Monky” of Starburst Creations, has been building and designing geodesic dome structures for stage coverings, exhibition and performance spaces, shade structures and housing for over five years.
He began over ten years ago as a rigger of décor and props within the music event community and after developing a keen interest in the sacred geometric patterns that appear throughout nature he began to create temporary art installations based around the spiralling nature of a spider web,
In 2004, whilst building various shade structures designed around spiders webs and dream catcher patterns at the Australian eclipse festival in the out back dessert of south Australia, he helped to build his first two geodesic dome structures,
A love with both the strength and fractalizing nature of these structures was quickly realised and he set forth on a mission to create a business where he could build and design great structures for both entertainment and practical purposes
Now owning six hireable structures and countless mega structure designs. Erron has recently designed and is currently developing a universal quick lock hub unit to aid in both the speed and strength of building his structures and also making possible many of the intricate stage designs and structures he wishes to build
Hannah Dupree - Project Management
Hannah Dupree is an artist living and working just outside of Melbourne. She is trained in Event Management (TAFE), and Inclusive Leadership (Newcastle University), and Team Management and Leadership (Landmark Education).
She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (National Art School) in 2003, and has been exhibiting paintings and sculpture since then. She was the coordinator of Tightrope, the Tighes Hill and Mayfield Community Arts Centre in 2005-6, and is the Chairperson of the Earthdance Melbourne Association Inc.
Hannah’s passion for large scale Public Art was fostered on her first trip to the USA in 2004 where she traveled with Cycelide Bike Rodeo, on the road she discovered the immediate and transformative impact art can have on the public at large.
Her mission is that in 10 years art and sport will be of equal value to society.
Richard Martin – Chair of Oz Birthing Woman Ass Inc
Richard has a background in community radio, festival administration and music.
He worked for 9 years, from 1982 to 1991, in all aspects of Radio Broadcasting and Management in the Community Radio sector. He worked with 4TTT-FM in Townsville from 1981 to 1987 and then 3PBS-FM in Melbourne from1987 to 1991, where he finished up as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Progressive Broadcasting Co-operative Limited. He also served, for a brief period, as the treasurer of the Victorian Public Broadcasting Association from1990 to 1991.
For the past 18 years, Richard has had a passionate interest in Outdoor ‘Arts and
Lifestyle’ Festivals. He has been involved in the operation of Confest, Earthcore, Rainbow Serpent Festival, Outback Eclipse Festival and others.
He held a directorship, in the late 90s, with the Co-operative that puts on Confest, and was responsible for running Front Gate operations at Earthcore, in the mid to late 90s, and more recently, with the Rainbow Serpent Festival, for the last 8 years.
Richard’s enthusiasm for these festivals has led to him to attend 5 Burning Man Festival events in Nevada, USA, in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004, and he has become actively involved in the Australian Regional Network for the Burning Project,
He is also keen to get a large scale Installation Artwork over to Burning Man through the newly formed ‘Oz Birthing Woman Association’ where he has taking a steering role in forming the associations rules and chairing its ‘Committee of Management’.
Apart from his arts interests, Richard has worked as a computer specialiast in the computer hosting industry for the last 9 years, with www.melbourne.net and for the last 18 months with www.smartyhost.com.au.
Along with his current work in the hosting field, he also applies his business in helping out community groups, businesses and individuals with multimedia productions and open source software. He uses the Linux mainframe operating system himself.
Keren Flavell - Communications
Keren Flavell is an award-winning interactive digital media producer with 15 years experience in producing content online, with a focus on entertainment and music.
She is globally recognised as an innovator in reaching audiences through multiple digital media platforms and now is pioneering the use of virtual worlds as a tool for the production and distribution of television content.
Prior to co-founding SLCN.TV she won the prestigious Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival - Best Entertainment Website for the ABC/Film Victoria Digital Media Fund Accord project Sounds Like Techno.
She has been a guest speaker at events such as the Screen Producers Association Conference, AIMIA conference, Australian International Documentary Conference, Adelaide Festival FutureProof and lectured in new media production at AFTRS, Victoria College of the Arts, La Trobe University and Victoria University.
Keren has raised significant finance from both public and private sources for various media and arts productions.
From 2006-2008 she served on the Film Victoria Digital Media Fund board and has held positions on several industry organisations.
Heath Myers “Agent of Change”
Team Performance Consultancy & Strategic Visioning
Born in 1972 Heath Myers is a solid achiever in many diversified professions, passions and pursuits.
Raised in Brisbane, he moved to Melbourne in 1993 after completing a Business Marketing Degree at QUT, in order to pursue a career in the Music Industry. After a seven year stint scaling the ranks of Shock Records (SMG) into an executive position as Local Labels and Product Manager for Shock’s Velocity Division, he decided to capitalise on his knowledge and launch KinetiK Entertainment, Management and Music Industry Services as a banner for diversified events management/promotions and managing himself as professional DJ. Utilising his contacts in the music industry he very quickly earned the respect of the events world and found himself conceiving, managing and administrating not only his own successful events but also as a creative and logistical consultant for numerous entertainment companies including Earthcore, Rainbow Serpent Festival and Good Vibrations Festival. His DJing career simultaneously skyrocketed very quickly seeing him billed regularly playing residencies, key slots and supports at Melbourne’s most respected venues and festivals.
With such diversified experience Heath extended his knowledge into education. Gaining the required teaching qualifications he was recruited into the teaching profession and has since written, designed and delivered music business and event management courses for Northern Metropolitan Institute of Tafe (NMIT), Box Hill Institute of Performing Arts, William Angliss Institute for Hospitality and Monash University Short Courses, all with which he is currently employed.
Forever interested in furthering himself, Heath has been a student of self-development, advanced healing methodologies and advanced learning systems for the majority of his adult life. Operating under the business name Agent of Change, Heath is a practicing Performance Consultant, Life Coach and Holistic Therapist qualified in the fields of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Advanced Neurological Reprogramming, Hypnotherapy, Reconnective Healing and Holographic Healing. Providing one-on-one services and progressive educational courses to the community, Heath has been readied for taking his passion, skills and experience to a global level.
Matt Bonner - Logistics.
Matt Bonner runs a management business in the music industry managing four successful Australian bands: Tzu, The Scientists of Modern Music, Spoonbill and Simon Slieker.
He has been involved in community projects in Australia for 14 years, loves logistical challenges and is an obsessive musical curator.
He was on the board of Earthdance Melbourne as well as the creative director for 2007 and 2008 festivals, he is actively involved in The Rainbow Serpent Festival as well as touring international music acts in Australia. Matt is experienced in all aspects of managing events from music festivals to art events and has extensive logistical and project management experience from a career of over a decade in the music, film and arts industries.
Brad Fettke
Brad begun practicing as a full time visual artist and graphic designer in 2004 and currently works from his studio based in Adelaide, South Australia. Since this time he has displayed large scale banners and backdrops at a wide selection of festivals and events across Australia. Displays have been a fusion of hand painted, airbrushed and large format prints.
Brad has also established a clothing range which reflects the style of art displayed at these events and also works as a graphic designer, primarily creating custom artwork for global record labels. Brad has been an organiser and coordinator of many different music and art festivals and events.
As Brad continues to develop his artistic and networking skills he aims to create and display larger installations of his own art, as well as combining his talent with other artists to work on larger group projects to exhibit and tour at events and festivals around the globe.
Brads Art can be viewed at www.Izwoz.com.au
Samantha-Jayne Scriven
Samantha-Jayne Scriven started her hospitality career off when she was 16 and it didn’t take her long after she turned 18 to be running the venues that she worked at. She then took a shine to the marketing and P’s (promotion, publicity, and public relations) side of hospitality and entertainment which lead her to hold roles as venues Marketing Manager for over 10 years. This was the area where she could use her creative flare and rise to the challenge of making something out of nothing.
In her spare time she worked as a model and a promotional assistant manager. This let Samantha-Jayne become a competent interviewer in front of the camera and hostess of media & product launches, galas lunches and more.
Over the years she has negotiated large amounts of sponsorship (both cash and product) for the businesses that she worked for and the foundations that she holds near to her heart (Make-A-Wish, Wilderness Society, Ronald McDonald House Monash to name a few).
She is qualified in Public Relations, Small Business Management and e-Business (TAFE) and is a NLP Practioner. Samantha-Jayne loves knowledge and attends many workshops, seminars and talks to expand her knowledge base of a large variety of topics. To extend her passion in this area she has been coordinating the Healing & Visions Village at the Maitreya Festival for the past three years.
Samantha-Jayne has been performing for people all of her life, once she found that someone was taking pictures of her she started to put on a show. She has loved to dance and has worked as a podium dancer and starred in a cabaret / burlesque show called ‘Sassy and the Pussycats’. Which lead to her having a comic strip drawn after her alter ego? Now she likes to learn dances from around the world as it makes her feel at one with that culture and the earth.
