Gold Coast Creative (Issue 1) by Queensland College of Art, Griffith University

For decades, the QCA has pushed the boundaries of design, art and photography education in Australia through its innovative programs and acknowledgement of the importance of industry practice for all students. This program, which provides major study in areas as diverse as 3 Dimensional Design, Digital Design, Graphic Design, ePhotojournalism and Fine Art enables a unique crossflow of ideas and creative practice resulting in unique and innovative concepts and art works. This is further energised by staff drawn from associated industries, who drive in-house incubators such as Liveworm Studio, which is the longest running student-driven graphic design studio in Australia. Providing the perfect mix of project-driven assessment, contact with real clients and the opportunity for students to gain a clear understanding of deadlines and client feedback. The Argus (www.theargus.net.au), an online visual journalism magazine produced by ePhotojournalism majors, provides a visual feast of topical and newsworthy stories collected by students from near and far including the Gold Coast, Prague, Cambodia and Vietnam, setting a high standard of delivery in this new and exciting area of journalism. Painting, sculpture, screen-printing, installation, photography and a range of other techniques drawn from the mix of major study areas within the program provide our Fine Art students with the skills to address their personal thoughts, politics and concerns about society. An annual graduating exhibition of their works held at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise provides a positive indication of the strength of their final works. Within the context of our current economic situation, and because of a social awakening to the importance of sustainable design, it is imperative that design graduates enter the workplace with a clear understanding of the new definition of ‘Good Design’. Their work must not only consider the economic benefits, functionality and aesthetics of the product but must now always include consideration of its environmental impact. The next generation of Graphic and Product designers from the QCA will design for minimum impact on our environment, resulting in a positive impact on everyone’s lives. Our ePhotojournalism graduates, working with the philosophy that an active, watchful and truthful media is the backbone of a democratic society, will also contribute to a fruitful but responsible society.

FOREWORD

This sample of work produced by graduates of the Bachelor of Digital Media and Bachelor of Digital Media with Honours at the Queensland College of Art (QCA) Gold Coast campus of Griffith University provides adequate evidence of the creative potential that is being nurtured for release into the ‘outside world’.

Earle Bridger Deputy Director (Gold Coast) Queensland College of Art www.qcagoldcoast.com

staff

Liveworm team

Creative Director Dominique Falla Studio Co-ordinator Sharon Searle Designers Megan Harrison & Ashleigh Brennan Liveworm Gold Coast Studio G14_2.14 Queensland College of Art Gold Coast campus Griffith University QLD 4222 T: +61 7 5552 7262 E: goldcoast@liveworm.com.au www.livewormgoldcoast.com

Queensland College of Art Gold Coast General Staff

Anne-Maree Garcia Trudy Jensen Vince McKillop Sharon Searle Jason Urech Academic Staff Richard Blundell Earle Bridger

Sanctuary Cove Publishing team

Daniel Della-Bosca

Publisher Clare E. Urwin

Heather Faulkner

Editor Rhonda Oxnam

Jon Harris

Editorial Assistant Susan Lang-Lemckert

Donna Marcus

Creative Consultant Kirsten Beehag

Dale Patterson

Art Direction Alisha Pettit Graphic Designers April Williams & Jenna Moir Sales & Marketing Executive Jacqui Forrester Publisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s P.A. Yvonne Gramstad Sanctuary Cove Publishing T : +61 7 5577 9499 P.O. Box 252 Sanctuary Cove, Qld, Aust 4212 www.thecovemagazine.com.au No responsibility is accepted by SCP for the accuracy of any statement contained in the text or advertisements. All material appearing in Gold Coast Creative is copyright ÂŠ. Views expressed by journalists are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Printed by Printcraft. Distributed by Fairfax Media Publication Solutions.

Cover art design by Denica Layton www.denicafay.com.au

Dominique Falla

Robyn Peacock-Smith Jack Picone Ashley Whamond

Dominique Falla

is a designer who loves technology and brand building. She lectures in graphic design at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, and is currently studying for her Doctorate in Visual Arts (DVA), where she is developing the concept of ‘creativity fitness’.

From 1995 to 1996 while completing a Master of Arts—Photography at Ohio University in the United States he worked for the Athens News as a photojournalist and the Columbus Dispatch as an assistant picture editor. Earle also worked as an Assistant Photo Editor for Reuters during the Sydney Olympic Games and as a Photo Manager for the Brisbane Goodwill Games. Most recently he spent 18 months as the Pictorial Editor of The Sunday Mail, Australia’s second-largest circulation newspaper.

her Honours and Bachelor of Creative Arts degrees at Griffith University, Gold Coast. She is co-founder of 19 KAREN, which exhibits and fosters the careers of emerging and established Australian and international artists. In her role as the Director, for two years she facilitated exhibitions, workshops, artist talks and community art events.

Earle has held Griffith University appointments as Convenor of Photography Programs, QCA Deputy Director Development and most recently as QCA Deputy Director Gold Coast.

Richard Blundell

Graphic designer, painter and printmaker Richard Blundell has practised as a designer since 1965. He has worked in design education since 1988, concentrating on professional practice, design theory and design research culture. Richard has held numerous solo and group shows. His works are represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Centre Gallery (Gold Coast City Council) and Griffith University Art Collection as well as in private and corporate collections. Richard was the 1999–2000 Queensland President of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA), and is a Queensland and National council member of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA).

Virginia Rigney

is Curator at Gold Coast City Gallery where she works on a variety of exhibition, collection and event projects—many of which seek to draw out the cultural history of the Gold Coast. She studied at the ANU and Sydney University and over the past 25 years has worked in a variety of curatorial roles at the Powerhouse Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Victoria and Albert Museum London and Glasgow Museums in Scotland. Virginia also chairs the Curatorial Panel of art+place, the Queensland Government Fund for Public Art administered by Arts Queensland.

Heather Faulkner

is a Doctor of Visual Arts Research Higher Degree candidate (Documentary Photography) and convenor of the ePhotojournalism major (Bachelor of Digital Media, QCA, Gold Coast). Her documentary practice blends both traditional still photography and transmedia methodologies (video, audio, animation) with a focus on online delivery. She is the former picture editor of The Prague Post (Czech Republic) and has worked on assignment as a photojournalist in countries such as the Czech Republic, Albania, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey, Japan, Canada, USA and Austria. In Australia she has worked on assignment for News Ltd, Fairfax, Agence-France Presse (AFP), Australian Associated Press (AAP) and ACP. She has received awards and commendations from Czech Press Photo (photojournalism), Society for News Design and Best in European News Design, and exhibits both nationally and internationally. To view her work, visit her website and blog at www.heatherfaulkner.com.au

Mariam Arcilla is a Gold Coast curator who completed

She also co-founded tinygold, an artist-run project promoting Southeast Queensland artists via annual survey shows. Mariam currently works as a cultural developer at Gold Coast City Council, and is one-third of the new artist-run initiative rabbit+cocoon, which provides working studios and creative resources to local artists, designers and musicians.

Carol Whittaker

is a graphic designer with over 25 years experience specialising in logo design, corporate identity and signage. She works at her studio, Creative Whit, and teaches graphic design students at QCA while studying towards her Master of Visual Arts as a Research Higher Degree candidate. Her research topic is signage and wayfinding of the Griffith University Gold Coast campus. Carol has worked for award-winning multi-disciplinary design firms collaborating with architects and interior designers on retail, commercial and government projects. Her experience has included working nationally as well as internationally in London, Chicago and New Zealand. Originally from Sydney, Carol now calls the Gold Coast home.

Contributors

Earle Bridger

began his photojournalism/teaching career as a cadet news photographer with the Brisbane daily, The Courier Mail newspaper (1972-1982). For 15 years he then freelanced for dozens of Australian newspapers and magazines and was contracted to complete two books, Brisbane 82 and The Twelfth Commonwealth Games, The Official Pictorial History.

Anne-Maree Garcia

is a graduate of Griffith University, QCA, Master of Art, Visual Art Postgraduate program. She is also a graduate of the Centre for Performing Arts in Adelaide, where she trained as a theatre worker specialising in Stage Management and Lighting. In the past 20 years Anne-Maree has travelled all over Australia working as a Lighting Designer for companies such as Queensland Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Swell Sculpture Festival in Queensland; Darwin Theatre Company, Tracks Dance Company, Browns Mart Collective, Araluen Arts Centre and Darwin Entertainment Centre in the Northern Territory; The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra; Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne; and Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, Vitalstatistix Theatre Company and Red Shed Theatre Company in Adelaide.

Trudy Jensen is a full-time administrative officer at

QCA Gold Coast campus and also a part-time student at Griffith University, where she is preparing to complete her Journalism degree mid 2011. Trudy has a keen interest in the field of Visual Media, having already completed a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Arts and a BA with First Class Honours majoring in the areas of English, Drama and Screen Media in her home country of New Zealand. Trudy has had the opportunity to work collaboratively with the design team in the QCA Gold Coast Liveworm Incubator, writing pieces for numerous publications which have been designed and produced by the professional team of staff and students. Trudy also contributes towards editing and proofreading of articles for QCA Gold Coast.

Build It & They Will Come

Creative Inhabitings

Liveworm

The Angel Within

Voices in Harmony

Art Unpacked

Kombumerri Timeline

Surf Smart

The Validity of Street Art

An Artistic Community

gold coast 46 icons

creative careers

Jack Picone

Ken Cato

Claudio Kirac

Michael Rayner

Yellow Goat Design

Mark Goudie

Steve Tyerman/Astras Galleries

Calleija Jewellers

Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove

Mulpha Sanctuary Cove (Developments) Pty Limited

10 28

INSIDE Dale de la Rey

Katie Garvan

Fabiana Guerreiro

Mari Hirata

Josh Kerr

Samantha McClurg

Jenna Moir

Janine Nel-McIntosh

Ashleigh White

Jay Woods

Past Students 56

2010 QCA Graduate Showcase 78 3D Design

Digital Design

ePhotojournalism

Fine Art

102

Graphic Design

112

Honours

139

Supporters and Sponsors

143

QCA GOLD COAST

QCA

QCA Gold Coast campus Since opening its doors in 1975, Griffith University, named in honour of Sir Samuel Griffith (1845–1920) a former Premier and Chief-Justice of Queensland, has come to be regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative tertiary institutions, and one of the most influential universities in the Asia-Pacific region. The University has grown to be a large multi-campus institution with internationally recognised strengths in teaching and research. Griffith now offers more than 300 degrees across five campuses, and is home to more than 40,000 students from 124 countries. Griffith is Australia’s ninth largest higher education provider. Griffith has much to be proud of in its development of the Gold Coast campus. The campus was established in 1990 with an initial cohort of 1,712 students, including 60 international students and a limited range of program offerings. It has since developed into a large, comprehensive campus that addresses the majority of higher education needs and aspirations of the region. The Gold Coast campus has been the fastest growing university campus in Australia for many years with a current student population of around 16,000 students, including 4,000 international students and around 1,000 staff. Current projections are for the campus to grow to 25–30,000 students by 2025. Established in 1881, the Queensland College of Art (QCA) is one of Australia’s longest-running art and design colleges. It offers the widest range of visual art programs in Australia and includes the Griffith Film School, which moved into new purpose-built premises at South Bank in March 2007. The College traces its origin to a drawing class at the Brisbane School of Arts, which was attended by 22 students. The QCA celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2006 and its 10th anniversary on the Gold Coast campus in 2010, and today has a community of around 1,200 artists, designers, animators, photographers and film-makers. Over the years the QCA has brought together some of the finest practitioners and academics in the areas of visual arts, design, Indigenous art and the moving image, and produced some of Australia’s leading visual artists and designers who have helped to shape the art and design culture of Queensland and Australia. My warmest congratulations go to this year’s graduates and the staff of the QCA at the Gold Coast for the wonderfully vibrant and engaging art works featured in this publication.

QCA 8

Max Standage Provost (Gold Coast and Logan Campuses)

Proving that the Gold Coast has much to offer in terms of unique design strengths and creative diversity, the publication features emerging artists, groundbreaking architecture, innovative community projects and supporters of The Arts from the region. The Yearbook also showcases the work of the 2010 graduating students of the Queensland College of Art (QCA) Gold Coast Griffith University, establishing a new audience for student work and generating strong employment opportunities for the graduates.

MISSION STATEMENT

The 2010 Gold Coast Creative Yearbook aims to initiate a dynamic cultural perception of the Gold Coast and help launch fresh links with the community.

AN ARTISTIC COMMUNITY The cultural and creative development of the Gold Coast has resulted in a growing sense of community.

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Above: Image courtesy of Gold Coast Tourism

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creating a cultural revolution Article Susan Lang-Lemckert

The thing with stereotypes is that they’re really hard to shake off. So while much of the country, and indeed the world, may still view the Gold Coast as a good-time town with a pretty face but little substance, a quiet revolution—of the cultural kind—has been taking place. No longer a sleepy seaside resort, Gold Coast City now boasts a permanent population of more than 500,000—making it the sixth-largest city in Australia—and a strong and diverse regional economy. Perhaps a microcosm of Australia as a whole, the Gold Coast has long been known as a place of opportunity, and for re-invention—a place where a person with a good idea and the drive to work hard to make it succeed can do just that. While the traditional key elements of the Gold Coast economy— construction, retail and hospitality—remain intrinsic to the city’s turnover, relative newcomers like the creative industry are steadily carving out a presence, and a market share, all of their own. Take fashion, for instance. Not content to rest forever on the laurels of bikini pioneer Paula Stafford, whose designs have been world famous since 1952, the city is now alive with innovative designers. While the better known of these—like Billabong swim and surfwear, established in 1973— are long-haulers, a continuous advent of new designers has kept the Gold Coast fashion industry vibrant, fresh and ever-growing. And where there are designers, there are textile artists, pattern makers, stylists… the list goes on. Traditionally a subject of amateur and professional ‘happy snaps’ due to its popularity as a holiday destination, the Gold Coast has now become a hub of film and television production in another stream of the city’s creative revolution. International production was pioneered here in 1980, and has since grown to comprise 75 per cent of all Queensland production. This is hardly surprising given the diversity of locales available within a short drive of the Gold Coast—beaches, rainforest, a high-tech skyscape, sleepy country towns… more than enough to keep the most imaginative location manager (and the most prudent executive producer) smiling. Music is another area of creative—and economic—development within Gold Coast City. Long renowned as a rock music incubator, the city is now producing artists specialising in styles as diverse as reggae and festival music, boasts its own symphony orchestra, and even offers a Bachelor of Popular Music degree through Griffith University. But what’s engendered this forty-year overnight success? Perhaps it’s a case of ‘build it and they will come’. The epicentre of the Gold Coast film industry is the state-of-the-art Village Roadshow Studios, equipped to optimise production and located to ensure less time is spent on travel, and more on the crucial tasks of editing and post-production. And two film specialists who set up on the Gold Coast in the 1990s— cinemagraphic make-up artist Peter Frampton and animatronics whizz John Cox—have since gone on to win Academy Awards for their work, while special effects man Jason Baird recently took out an Emmy. But it’s not all about fashion, film and music—the other forms of art are all strongly represented throughout the city, with numerous galleries and boutique artisans crafting high-quality pieces, and adding momentum to the cultural wave. With a wealth of top-grade tutors, private colleges and universities —including Griffith, home of the prestigious Queensland College of Art—

...the Gold Coast has long been known as a place of opportunity, and for re-invention— a place where a person with a good idea and the drive to work hard to make it succeed can do just that.

Top: Image courtesy of Gold Coast Historical Society

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Above: Peter Pan Street Studio

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within the city to refine our students’ talents, the turnout of skilled arts practitioners is impressive to say the least. But in the past a troubling creative drain persisted as our artistic aspirants left the Gold Coast to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Gladly, this is no longer the case. In fact, more than 1,000 businesses now operate within the Gold Coast’s creative industry—adding professions like the performing arts, writing and publishing, architecture, visual arts and design, advertising, graphic design and marketing to the rich artistic mix. Now a mainstay of the Gold Coast economy, the creative industry is one of 11 professional streams supported by the Gold Coast City Council’s business development arm, BusinessGC, whose objectives are jobs creation, capabilities development (of locals to compete nationally and internationally), exports and investment attraction. As with the other economic streams (education, environment, film, food and wine, health and medical, ICT, marine, sport, tourism, and trade missions), the many facets of the creative industry are supported by a dedicated Industry Development Officer at Council who provides information on government programs, assistance with streamlining applications, and introductions to local industry networks. Council further supports growth of the city’s creative industries through its Cultural Development Unit, which provides funding for local artists and cultural organisations, facilitates skills development for arts workers, supports public art and good urban design, implements cultural development policies, supports Indigenous culture, and promotes cultural tourism. With industry partners including Screen Queensland, Gold Coast Music Industry Association and the Design Institute of Australia—Qld Branch and a diverse calendar featuring events like BusinessGC Ready to Wear, the Big Day Out, the Gold Coast Film Festival and a variety of fine art competitions and exhibitions, the Gold Coast City Council is perfectly connected for mentoring our city’s emerging artisans. So the sleeping giant of the Gold Coast creative industry has not only awakened, but is working hard and attracting a great deal of positive attention locally, nationally, and around the world. As a cultural destination we’ve evolved phenomenally and, as always, we’ve done so in our own distinct way. We may not have shaken off the stereotypes just yet, but the day is in sight.

...the Gold Coast City Council is perfectly connected for mentoring our city’s emerging artisans.

Top Right: BusinessGC Fashion Incubator label Taree Birse; Bottom Right: Gold Coast band Dirtywings; Bottom Left: Burleigh 1939. Image courtesy of Gold Coast Tourism

Creative inhabitings

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To take on a world which is by its nature dynamic and transformative and generative— is to commit to another viewpoint; a viewpoint which values things differently because these things may also impose their own ‘emergent’ values on us.

– Stephen Read in ‘Visualizing the Invisible: Towards an Urban Space’

Clockwise from top: Anthea Polson Art Gallery - photography by Studio Sept; Jason Nelson, Digiquarium 2—Photography by Zheng Wu; Mariam Arcilla workshop at 19Karen—Photography by Mari Hirata; Oh ye Denver Birds perform at ‘tinygold’—Photography by Mariam Arcilla; Anthony Lister artist talk at 19Karen—Photography by Mari Hirata

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making space on the gold coast Article Mariam Arcilla

All around the Gold Coast you will find artists and curators creatively inhabiting the spaces and places within our city. These individuals and groups have successfully adapted to the perceived lack of space by initiating exciting community projects and events at nontraditional locations.

which provide alternatives for artists who want the independence to experiment with ideas and stage exhibitions, but without committing to contracts or commercial institutions. Therefore, pop-up events are a creative way to temporarily enliven disused spaces, and most times they can contribute towards the urban revival of a space or suburb.

Curator Lorraine Pilgrim found alternate ways to showcase her stable of artists at two locations: Nyst, a Southport law firm, and Ord Minnett, a stock-broker company in a Surfers Paradise building. Since 19 KAREN’s launch in 2009 (it was once a bus car-park) the wide-open space has been used for exhibitions, workshops, studios and musical performances. Meanwhile, Anthea Polson Art took over a fishing equipment store at Marina Mirage. Everever, a small gallery at Burleigh, was formerly the stockroom of a $2 shop. All these artspaces and initiatives cater predominantly to emerging artists. And with the help of the Internet and Facebook, their events and projects continue to draw support and exposure on a local and national level.

In 2007 tinygold artist-run initiative launched their first exhibition of Gold Coast artists in a former costume-hire shop in Mermaid Beach. This opportunity led to the establishment of 19 KAREN across the road, which then hosted the next two tinygold events. The Le Esprit Bird Gardens at Currumbin, which was closed to the public for many years, opened for one day for the 2008 Wonderland Festival. Locals were treated to blissful live music, art and performances set in a spacious, lush-green property filled with exotic birds. The park’s labyrinthine garden maze was even transformed into an outdoor art gallery.

This Internet revolution means that local art production—and avenues for promoting it—aren’t limited to geographical location anymore. Local artist Nick Chalmers believes it doesn’t matter where the artist is based, as ‘the exposure and audience target that the Internet provides nowadays means I’m not missing out by remaining here’. He also feels that being in a small city means less competition, leaving more room for the artist to grow and experiment. A part of this experiment is Chalmers’ recent transformation of a rental truck into a travelling art gallery. By inviting people to enter his truck to view art he creates on the road, Chalmers offers audiences an intimate, grass-roots substitute to white-cube galleries. Prominent local emerging artist Victoria Reichelt observes this significant transformation in gallery and artist behaviour in recent years. She is excited to see ‘a handful of interesting art galleries and projects popping up that are devoted to showcasing emerging artists’, and feels the support artists and arts-workers have for one another has led to the boom in the city’s creative quota. The ex QCA graduate also feels that ‘the standards of art education here nowadays is amazing, so why move away?’ Other emerging artists, including Abbey McCulloch, Claudio Kirac, Mari Hirata, Wayde Owen and Susan Simonini, have also shunned the usual pattern by choosing to live and create locally. McCulloch says she enjoys the escapist atmosphere of living in Burleigh. ‘The weather is amazing and there is a sense of space and freedom (for artists here) that can’t be achieved in major cities.’ she says.

This year digital artist and Griffith University lecturer Jason Nelson took over Surfers Paradise by turning the central platform of Circle on Cavill into an outdoor studio. For a week, Nelson lived in the adjoining vacant shopfront, and during ‘work hours’ created net-art in full view of shoppers and residents. Real-time data from his community interactions was then live-fed through his laptop and splashed onto the centre’s popular Big Screen—the largest outdoor TV monitor in Queensland. Additionally, Nelson’s curated show, Portable-Projections, which ran for two months, involved long-distance projection of video art and animations by local emerging artists, covering high-rise hotels, shopping centres and office buildings. The artist claims his part-exhibition, part-performance brought an entirely different art environment to our city. ‘Not only did we provide unexpected and dynamic new media art experiences to visitors, residents and business owners,’ he says, ‘but we also laid the groundwork for future new media opportunities in this city. ’ Festivals-wise, one can’t go past the popular Swell sculpture festival, where for ten days during September Currumbin Beach becomes peppered with a mixture of large-scale and miniature public artworks. There is also the Surfers Paradise Festival, debuting in 2010, which saw two months of pop-up art and live music events staged in bars, highrises, the beach, alleys and shopping centres in the tourist district. A fresh take on the outdoor markets format is The Village Markets, held every month at Burleigh Primary School. Starting off with nine stalls in late 2008, TVM now boasts over 45 stalls showcasing the latest artworks, fashion designs and other creative items produced by locals.

Our easy-going lifestyle and proximity to the beach has also attracted outside artists to set up studios on the Gold Coast. New York based Brisbane artist Anthony Lister keeps a part-time studio at Nobby’s Beach, and while here, created art towards his recent show in Canada. Growing up, Lister saw the Gold Coast as a paradise-like treat, and even now ‘associates a dip in the beach as my reward after a lengthy day of painting’.

New additions to the Gold Coast’s gallery menu include Retrospect Galleries, who have expanded their Byron Bay branch to the new Oracle building at Broadbeach. There is also the Miami-based multiarts hub ‘rabbit + cocoon,’ set to launch in 2011. The fourteenwarehouse centre aims to provide local artists, photographers, designers and musicians with affordable studio and exhibition spaces, as well as avenues to network and collaborate on projects.

Gentrification and high rentals have forced Gold Coast artists to adapt to affordable alternatives such as garages, warehouse and shops. Illustrator Hannah Smith turned a dressing room at retail store Reap N’ Sow into a cosy studio, while fashion label Pavo Tails sew fabrics in their bedrooms, and run a silkscreen-printing factory in their home garage. There are many more stories that go unmentioned, but these are just a few examples of this city’s recent ability to respond proactively towards the lack of traditional studio and showcase spaces.

The cultural pattern of a community is bred by the energy and beliefs of its people, and because the Gold Coast has a tightly-knit, but fastgrowing art scene, it is a fine product of that communal energy. The artists, and the individuals behind the mentioned organisations, have each provided an exciting template to what lies ahead for the Gold Coast art community in the next few years. And while some ventures vary in function and agenda, they all work towards the same creative formula, which is the nurturing of our local artists, and the promotion of our town as a destination for artistic productivity.

Adding to this momentum is the popularity of ‘pop-up’ galleries,

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Liveworm

‘With each project comes new ideas, inspiration and the opportunity to overcome any obstacles that arise. This is the experience that I need to be successful in all aspects of the design industry.’

Top: CODED design by Lindsay Howard, Benjamin Lees and Jane Patterson; Bottom right: Griffith University Open Day invitation design by Racheal McCosh

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gold coast creative incubator

Article Trudy Jensen

If you are looking for diverse and innovative design ideas for your company publications; specialised and capable students to undertake industry experience in your business; or a group of dedicated community designers to help with an important project (no matter how big or small)—look no further than the expert team from Liveworm Gold Coast. An offshoot of the more established Liveworm branch based at the South Bank campus of Griffith University, the Gold Coast division is currently expanding and developing in leaps and bounds. The new department opened its doors in January 2008, after being converted from a grungy fine art sculpture workshop into a professional design studio and creative incubator space—under the wing of the wellknown, 130 year old Queensland College of Art (QCA). The studio is staffed by QCA’s leading ePhotojournalism and Design students, under the guidance of highly qualified and experienced personnel. The close-knit team comprises Dominique Falla, Creative Director Supreme; Sharon Searle, Administrative Genius; Megan Harrison and Ashleigh Brennan, Liveworm Student Mentors and valued QCA Alumni; and up to fifteen Industry Placement students at any one given time— no wonder it is a busy, ever-growing hive of activity. There is no disputing that the experience gained from undertaking a semester’s stint in the creative incubator provides undergraduate and honours students with the essential skills required in the ‘real world’. Ashleigh Brennan, a graduate from the very popular Bachelor of Visual Media in 2009 (now the Bachelor of Digital Media), appreciates all she has gained from working with the Liveworm crew. “Throughout my time in Liveworm I have worked on a number of projects including corporate branding, exhibition invites and catalogues, posters and booklets. With each project comes new ideas, inspiration and the opportunity to overcome any obstacles that arise. This is the experience that I need to be successful in all aspects of the design industry,” she says. One of the pioneering features of the incubator hub is that external or internal customers may be presented with a number of design options—companies have the opportunity to open up their ventures

to a class group, making it possible for more than one student to come up with ideas. Being able to ‘pick and choose’ a preferred outcome to work with gives the supplier the luxury of not having to continue with products or models that they are not entirely happy with. They also have an on-going, active part to play in approving concepts. The feedback from all groups involved has been extremely positive thus far. The projects dealt with by Liveworm GC have been many and varied— from designing posters and invitations to working with the Broadbeach Management Group constructing the giant Christmas bugs which were on display at the local Christmas Festival; or taking on the onerous task of producing the end of year graduate catalogue (and associated publication material) for nearly 100 final year students completing their studies with QCA on the Gold Coast. It is a mammoth assignment coordinating so many students from different fields of study, majoring in such areas as Graphic Design, Digital Design, 3 Dimensional Design, ePhotojournalism and Fine Art. Since its inception Liveworm has increased their major yearly projects from 14 in 2008 to over triple that number by September for the 2010 year. Just under $100,000 worth of business went through the books for the 2009 period; Liveworm had reached well over that figure by the end of August for the current cycle, which included large projects such as the production of a promotional DVD to celebrate nearly 100 years of the Nippers Movement in South East Queensland; and the Kombumerri Timeline Display currently on show in the foyer of the new Student Administration building at the Parklands Drive, Southport campus of Griffith University. A few students every year are also lucky enough to be involved with the coveted Gecko House project team, which offers fantastic handson experience. “Working with the volunteer organisation, Gecko, on the Green Day Out Festival branding and poster design was one of my first real client projects,” explains QCA student Megan Harrison. “It was a very creative and organic project, and working with real clients was a considerable learning curve.”

Above left to right: Dominique Falla, Megan Harrison, Sharon Searle and Ashleigh Brennan

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the angel WITHIN Article Virginia Rigney

The Gold Coast City Parks Department team, led by Landscape Architect Ann Whitton, identified the wetland pond as a potential site for a sculpture and, in conversation with Virginia Rigney, Curator at Gold Coast City Gallery, an existing work by Donna Marcus and Simon Laws was identified as being suitable for the site. Donna is Senior Lecturer at QCA and she collaborated with Simon Laws, who has an architectural and building background, to make the work—I saw the Angel in the Marble and I carved to set him free. The work was originally selected and made as a temporary work for the McClelland Sculpture Survey and Award, Melbourne—a large outdoor sculpture competition. After the exhibition period was over the work was available for re-siting. Planning then began to launch the swan for it was recognised that the arrival of the sculpture should not be done in secret but should be an opportunity for the local community to participate in a celebratory event and also have the opportunity to meet the artists. Local theatre group Mercury’s Wings were commissioned to do a performance that drew on the story of The Ugly Duckling and dancers from local dance schools performed alongside professional actors. A full explanatory label about the work was also written and sited near the pond.

...it suggests the potential to create something new and wonderful from ordinary things. The commissioning of artwork in the public domain has emerged as a significant area of practice for contemporary artists. It also generates new opportunities for artists to have direct engagement with a wide range of professionals involved in the process but even more important is the potential to establish connections to local communities. Queensland College of Art (QCA) is developing a reputation for having a number of senior staff who have delivered high quality works for the public domain both within Australia and internationally. One such project involved the selection and installation of a public artwork for Musgrave Hill Park, located less than a 2km from the Gold Coast Griffith University campus. The awareness of the opportunity for the siting of the work in the park came though discussion with the Parks Department team at Gold Coast City Council who were involved in the redevelopment of the park. This included the placement of a work of art that would contribute to a sense of community by being a focal and conversation point. The Howard Group, led by Mark Howard and Ron Merrick, were interested in supporting the project, as the park was adjacent to their Sphere development. They saw the importance of having an attractive park next to their medium density development so that residents would have easy access to green space. Above: ‘I saw the angel in the marble and I carved to set him free’

The sculpture draws inspiration from two very famous sources within world culture and one a little closer to home. Firstly, the title for this work—I saw the Angel in the Marble and I carved to set him free—comes from a statement made by the Italian Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. He was describing how he came to envisage his beautiful sculptures within the giant chunks of marble that he would first see. His statement continues to have meaning for many artists for it suggests the potential to create something new and wonderful from ordinary things. The work also draws on the much-loved children’s fairy tale of The Ugly Duckling which tells the story of a baby swan that mistakenly hatches in a duck’s nest. The little signet finds himself the object of taunts and jeers for being different. He endures trials and hardships but matures into a graceful swan. The threads between these stories and the sculpture are about the power of transformation, creative thinking, re-use and recycling— and a respect for those that are different. The sculpture is made of a common, and yet miraculous material— vulcanised tyre rubber. A giant recycled three tonne steel belted tyre from an earth-moving vehicle has been cut, pulled, and turned inside out to be transformed, with a coat of reflective road marking paint, into a monumental sculpture. Donna and Simon were, in part, inspired by the now almost extinct tyre swan that could often be found in post-war suburban gardens. These swans followed the long tradition of Australian do-it-your-self improvisation where seemingly useless materials are refashioned into something new. Musgrave Hill is a suburb of this era so the sculpture has resonance with the immediate urban heritage. Two years on since the work has been installed and the developers of the Sphere report the swan continues to arouse discussion and interest and when residents learn about all the different ideas and connections they have a firm appreciation for the work. It is hoped that an education resource kit for local primary schools and community groups will be developed that will link the story of the work to be able to explore issues around bullying and reacting to difference.

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

VOICES in harmony Article Jeffrey Davidson

creating beautiful music Voices in Harmony was a public event held by Volunteering Gold Coast (VGC), where a group of citizens mostly aged 50 and over assembled to form a choir; not as a professionals, but for pure fun and entertainment.

There were a few obstacles encountered with the lighting and sound during the initial shoot. With gloomy lighting conditions, it was crucial to place the redhead lights around the venue where they would provide enough light for the scene, but also not get in the way of participants and the choir.

The project began in early April when over 30 participants from all different musical backgrounds (some having none at all), gathered in Surfers Paradise to embark on a musical journey.

Removing background noise during interviews (in a large crowded room) was also quite difficult. However, all necessary steps were taken prior to the next shoot to reduce further problems.

From there they were trained to sing together as a choir by their conductor, Jeanette Koorey. Two hours of rehearsals were held every Wednesday morning at the Surfers Paradise RSL club for four months and constant practice sessions were also set up to prepare them for their concert which was held in August, to coincide with Senior’s Week. VGC gathered a number of sponsors and enthusiastic volunteers together, including Liveworm Gold Coast, who dedicated their time and effort into bringing the event together and producing material for it.

This project was also the first time the campus’ newly arrived HD cameras were used (apart from testing). QCA Gold Coast had purchased a number of new Panasonic AG-HMC41E video cameras, which conveniently arrived one week prior to the first shoot.

Digital design students completed an exciting community project in early September, as the Voices in Harmony DVD was finalised.

Liveworm was approached with the idea to compile a digital package for the project, which included a 15-minute DVD covering the entire process—from the initial stages of the rehearsals, right through to the final performance. The vision was to produce a package that captured the achievements, memories and passion of the choir, as well as to provide a souvenir of the experience and the progress they made. Two volunteers Monique Grisanti and Lauren Redman, who are studying the Bachelor of Digital Media, took on the task of filming and editing Voices in Harmony, under the supervision of Jeffrey Davidson. Monique and Lauren also worked on the Nippers project last year, as well as various other video projects including Golden Idol 2009. Initially, those involved had no idea what to expect from the first shoot; both with the filming and the rehearsal itself. On the day, the crew gathered and, with a little direction from Michael and Glen from VGC, were able to capture the rehearsal on film.

The new HD Panasonics provided the campus with their first cameras to use SD cards to record high quality footage. It also gave the students the ability to take time-lapse footage and other new features which were put to use for this project. With Lauren and Jeffrey taking turns with the camera and sound, the footage was taken and then later converted ready for Monique to edit. The process continued every few weeks to capture the progress of the singers. When it finally came to the concert, the performers were quite nervous, however, as soon as the first song started they really enjoyed the experience. The choir sang a variety of classic songs, including A Whole New World from Aladdin. There were also special performances and duets which were captured for the last edit and then finalised by Michael and Jeffrey. The event and the creation of the DVD turned out to be a valuable experience for everyone, including the video crew. It was a great joint effort between Liveworm and VGC which helped forge a stronger bond with the elderly community. The choir thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to exercise their vocal chords and, more importantly, make new friendships and the DVD has allowed them to take those valuable memories home.

The choir thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to exercise their vocal chords and, more importantly, make new friendships… 21

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

ART UNPACKED Article Virginia Rigney

“Access to real artworks plays an essential role in a general education.” Tucked away behind storage doors of Gold Coast City Gallery lies an important collection of artworks that has been built up since 1968. This valuable resource of over 2,400 items is largely unseen by the community and has particular strengths in Australian art post-1950, artworks about the beach and beach culture and artworks made about the Gold Coast region. Although a new art gallery is well and truly on the city agenda, that building is still some way off. In 2006, it was recognised that in order for the City Gallery to better meet the needs of our education community, the existing artworks needed to be made more accessible. At the same time it was recognised that it has become increasingly difficult for schools to arrange a visit to their local gallery. The final overarching rationale for the development of this new education resource was the conviction that access to real artworks plays an essential role in a general education, and artworks about a particular place offer unique insights into broader understandings of culture and history. Of all major cities in Australia, the Gold Coast has recently experienced a rapid period of growth and change and conventional markers of historic buildings and museum collections that identify past lives are noticeably absent. This absence has led to the popular cliché that the Gold Coast has no history, but the evidence of the past that is contained in these artworks proves otherwise. It was decided to focus the theme of the resource kit on Land and Place and six themes were established that not only reflected the strengths in the collection but also the key learning areas within the curriculum. Queensland College of Art (QCA) staff member Donna Marcus was involved in the initial advisory group of educators and artists who worked with Curator Virginia Rigney to define the scope of the kit. From there a brief was developed and funding support secured from Arts Queensland, The Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy and The George Top: Sea World, Bermuda Triangle, Type C photograph (2001) by Anne Zahalka

Alexander Foundation to progress the research, writing and production of the kit. The themes are: The Sea and The Marine Environment, The Beach, William Robinson and the Rainforest, Art Outdoors, Pop Culture Landscape and the final and only Gold Coast specific group is Change and the Gold Coast landscape. QCA Gold Coast graduate Mari Hirata is one of the 37 artists featured in the kit and others with strong connections to the college are Scott Redford, Ian Smith, Robert Moore, Tracey Moffatt, Denis Nona and Gordon Bennett. Other artists featured include Fred Williams, William Robinson, Margaret Olley, Donald Friend, Jeff Carter, John Gollings, Luke Roberts, Betty Quelhurst and Anne Zahalka. Educator and arts curriculum specialist Brendan Lea was commissioned to write the tasks for the workbook and the final format for the kit features 37 A3 size images, a detailed 50 page workbook with tasks written at six different year levels targeting K to 12. During the time the kit was being written the move towards a National Curriculum has seen a shift in focus from only covering Queensland landscapes and places to have a broader national appeal. The Gold Coast’s unique nature as the national leisure playground and tourism capital means that the sections of the kit that deal specifically with Gold Coast landscape will still have relevance for students from all states and the kit may even go some way to dispelling forever the notion of the Gold Coast as a place of no culture and history. The kit was launched at the INSEA Art Education Conference for Australia and Asia Pacific at the NGV in October and is available for sale for $50. Thanks to the generous support of the George Alexander Foundation and Arts Queensland, one copy of the kit will be given free to Gold Coast schools and it is hoped that new generations of students will now have greater insights into the art of this region and the works within Gold Coast City Gallery collection. Enquires: gallery@theartscentregc.com.au 07 5582 6567.

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

capturing the past Article Trudy Jensen

Visitors to the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University should make every effort to view the ‘Kombumerri Timeline’ display, exhibited in the foyer of the Student Administration building. The display is a comprehensive and informative linear presentation, relaying important stories and events in relation to the local Kombumerri People; the Kombumerri Country, incorporating the regions stretching from Logan River to Tweed River; and the ground breaking 1998 agreement between the Traditional Custodians of the Land and Griffith University. The Timeline itself is made of 90 per cent acrylic, with a glass top and stainless steel mounted bracketing. The full length of the piece is approximately five and a half metres. There is a large map in the form of a wall plaque which is constructed from starfire flumped glass with an acrylic mirrored finish. This extremely eye catching wall plate highlights the key areas of aboriginal populace on the Gold Coast. Indigenous Elder Graham Dillon played a key role in contributing to the production of the piece, and emphasises the importance of the ongoing relationship between the indigenous people from the area and the University. “Under the agreement, Griffith University made a number of commitments, including incorporating indigenous culture into its curriculum, and where appropriate, working with the Kombumerri People to ensure that their cultural heritage is preserved; promoting of their values and traditions; and naming University facilities in the Kombumerri language,” he says. The bringing together of many people, from varied backgrounds and walks of life—all contributing towards the production of the visual collection of narrative on show—is a story in its own right: • Graham Dillon OAM and Elder in Residence at the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University was generous in providing constructive and valuable cultural advice throughout all aspects of the production, as well as imparting guidance to the wider Gold Coast community. Mr Dillon is acknowledged by the University for his continuing contribution to indigenous Australians. ‘Uncle Graham provides consistently thoughtful and perceptive input in the full spirit of reconciliation, and to improve the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in higher education’.

The overall result was much more dramatic and impressive than we had ever imagined.

KOMBUMERRI TIMELINE

the

• Display curator Susie Davies was primarily responsible for all aspects of curatorship, sourcing of content, and ensuring that every step taken during the production of the timeline was in consideration of cultural awareness and integrity.

• Professor Max Standage, Provost Gold Coast and Logan campuses, and Campus Liaison Manager Tasha Clarke were instrumental in supplying an ongoing link between all parties involved in the project, as well as overseeing the expenditure of funding for the $40,000 endeavour.

• The Liveworm Gold Coast team undertook many primary roles during the whole venture. Senior Lecturer from QCA Gold Coast Richard Blundell and Liveworm Creative Director Dominique Falla were principal supervisors for the crew. Incubator students Richard Neville, Megan Harrison, Ashleigh Brennan and Bruce Blundell supplied typography, graphic composition, and threedimensional design fabrication and construction for the Kombumerri timeline project. All undergraduate, honours and Griffith Alumni agreed that the experience was invaluable. The crucial historical account features tales about notable characters, including that of Jenny Graham of the Kombumerri clan, who was born to an indigenous mother and a non-indigenous father in the 1860s. Jenny was subject to a confrontational time of change and upheaval due to the instatement of oppressive European Laws and Acts throughout her entire life. Another personality featuring an important role in the history of the area was Keendahn (Gindan) or ‘Billy Galeen’ who was an Elder of the Kombumerri clan. Permission was obtained from Hilda Blundell, a Senior Elder from the Gold Coast area, to relay the beautiful ‘Nerang River Love Story’ in the timeline—the edited account tells of the creation of the culturally significant Aboriginal regions of Jebbribillum (Little Burleigh) and Jellurgal (Burleigh Heads).

The creatively visual display is available for viewing from Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm (excluding public holidays) in the front presentation area of the G33 Administration building of Griffith University, Gold Coast campus.

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

SURF smart

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

Article Trudy Jensen Photography Fabiana Guerreiro

The red and yellow flag was born on Australian beaches at the instigation of these men who saw the flag as a representation of years of mateship, service and above all, duty to protect others. Few South East Queensland locals have not heard of the renowned Nippers Movement—a group dedicated to educating Aussie kids on how to be ‘surf smart and surf safe.’ Nearly one hundred years on from its first inception, this indispensable not-for-profit group are certainly still alive and kicking. Given the Gold Coast and Queensland climate, coupled with the beach-going lifestyle, and most young children’s appreciation of the sand and surf it is an undeniable necessity that all Australia’s five to thirteen year olds learn to become confident and safe in the ocean!

many generations ago, in comparison to the vividly colourful pictures of today, highlight how the movement has placed its feet firmly in the Twenty-first Century, embracing the need to utilise new media technologies to record its heritage. Life Member John Jones has given a significant amount of his time and support to the cause. John joined the movement in 1967 and now boasts over sixty years of unbroken service. “Development has been very, very dramatic. The introduction of new technologies right back from the early fifties until now, has been remarkable. In 1950 they were still utilising reel line and belts which were used in 1907!” John says. The QCA students have been very fortunate to have had involvement with interviews surrounding Nippers founding member and SSLSC President John Ogilvie, as well as Australian Ironman Mark Bennett. The students involved in the project gained many skills while working on the assignment. “The Nippers project was an extremely valuable experience, allowing us the opportunity to work with actual clients and deadlines, while at the same time gaining the knowledge and understanding of our professional industry. We each took on a role to play (myself as Chief Editor), allowing us to find our niche within all stages of the production,” explains Monique Grisanti on behalf of the student group. Nippers Documentary Project Leaders (and Design Lecturers) Dominique Falla and Scott Roberts are delighted that their Design and ePhotojournalism students were given the opportunity to have real life industry experience and produce real outcomes, which are of benefit to not only themselves but also to the wider community.

It is with this mandate in mind, amid much pride and a willingness to support the Nippers, that students and staff from the Queensland College of Art (QCA) Gold Coast Liveworm Incubator and The Argus team jumped in to lend a hand. Six QCA Digital Design students worked on a ‘package of visuals’ for the Southport Surf Life Saving Club (SSLSC) which were presented at the Nippers Open Day on Saturday 5 September 2009. The half-day event incorporated a beachside club dedication and a memorial ceremony to commemorate the life of Garth Andrews, a long-standing member of the club since 1936, who sadly passed away in June 2009. Garth served in the RAF during WWII and it is poignant that the trademark red and yellow flags flying on the day were initially used by the ANZACS in WWI to communicate when a man was overboard and required assistance. ‘Upon returning from overseas service, Australian soldiers saw the need to establish a common image in the early 1920s to represent safe swimming areas on Australian beaches. The red and yellow flag was born on Australian beaches at the instigation of these men who saw the flag as a representation of years of mateship, service and above all, duty to protect others.’ The Liveworm team also produced a thirty-minute documentary which was released in November of last year. The SSLSC are successful recipients of a Q150 Grant (The Q150 Community Funding Program gives Queenslanders the opportunity to celebrate and commemorate our state’s 150th anniversary—from the Queensland government website). The funding has made it possible to cover the costs of producing the thirty-minute DVD detailing the history of the Nippers Movement in South East Queensland (which was prominently driven by the SSLSC). The promotional tool has been paramount in encapsulating old footage and imagery and gathering together the historical data in a format which will be preserved for future generations. The contrasting differences between the black and white photos of the little tikes from

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

THE VALIDITY OF STREET ART

I was walking around the city, consumed with my own thoughts. As I turned a corner a building with huge, colourful faces snuck up on me. I smiled and forgot my problems instantly. We should have more surprises like this on the Gold Coast—our buildings are seasoned for it!—Local resident

Top: Oneway project photography by Marc Grimwade; Bottom: Oneway project photogaphy by Mariam Arcilla.

ARTISTICCOMMUNITY

uprise on a high-rise Article Mariam Arcilla

The winter of 2010 saw the debut of the Oneway project, a cultural street-party staged at Alison and Appel Street, Surfers Paradise. Established by Surfers Paradise Alliance, the one-day event promoted the Gold Coast creative community by profiling home-grown and international artists, musicians and fashion designers. As part of the program I curated a street art project featuring Berlin street artist Mymo and local emerging artists Claudio Kirac, Sam Smith, Georg Whelan and Kitty Horton. Armed with a plethora of aerosol spray paints, the artists collaborated to transform a 15 metre wide wall of the Parkrise building into a kaleidoscopic explosion of curious creatures and trumpeting landscapes. Each work bore the artists’ recognisable style, and an audience of over 8,000 witnessed its creation. The format meant the young artists—who regularly exhibit in galleries—were able to experiment on a large-scale within a public arena. By taking art out onto the streets, they expose their works to a wide range of audiences, including those unfamiliar with street art. For a movement that is internationally recognised, street art has a low presence on Gold Coast streets. This is largely due to our city’s tough anti-graffiti laws. Any un-sanctioned art is covered with regulation paint and individuals are fined. There is no denying the fact that tagging and vandalism is a public nuisance, however, the lack of perception means street art falls by default under the illegal act of vandalism. Therefore it’s vital to point out that while vandalism seeks to deface public property, street art is the opposite in that it intends to animate and enliven a city by bringing meaning and visual complement to our public streetscapes. These artists work with the surfaces and structure of our walls and buildings, in an effort to add something extra to our topography. More importantly, street art serves to underline the technical skill, visual scope and the dynamic (sometimes frenetic) methods utilised by its makers. When finished, the artwork starts to belong to the city and its people, inasmuch as it belongs to the artist. At the core of the Parkrise project is the advocating of street art as a professionally recognised and appreciated practice. This results in the commissioned art becoming a souvenir to the public, so that many months later the wall will still be here for tourists and local visitors to see. And with the artwork’s recent coverage on Art Nation (ABC), Getaway (Channel Nine) and The Gold Coast Bulletin, this signals a positive change in the media’s perception of street art. Street art impacts heavily on the shaping of contemporary art. One can easily see the global trend of artists being influenced by the movement and incorporating street methods into their fine arts practices. While the ethos and subject matter behind street art may not be universally appealing, what is imperative is this guerrilla art form be viewed with the same artistic value as is directed towards traditional gallerybased art. Saying this, a fine example is The City of Melbourne, which celebrates and supports its street artists through legally commissioned public projects. Additionally, many Australian street artists—notably Ghostpatrol, Beastman, Twoone and Miso—successfully oscillate between perfecting their art techniques on the streets and exhibiting works in a commercial gallery format. So street art is just another form of creative expression, and government eyes are starting to be on par with this. After Gold Coast Youth Arts’ Art + Skate program, held at Elanora in 2008, Parkrise is only the second aerosol-based street art event to be council-approved. This is not to say street art doesn’t occur regularly,

they are just forcibly hidden within the crevices of warehouses, skate parks, abandoned buildings, under bridges and in private backyards. The aim of these events then is to promote a positive profile by giving street artists cultural validity, and having their art be given central prominence. It’s also a call for the city to one day provide legal, public walls devoted to street art. More importantly is to encourage a continuation of programs that educate our youth and the community about the constructive and creative uses of aerosol paints. The good news is that Parkrise will become an annual event as part of Oneway, giving a new batch of street artists a platform to artistically and legally transform another part of Surfers Paradise. So with this new creative uprise, it’s only a matter of time before street art becomes an addition to the evolving multi-arts pattern of the Gold Coast.

By taking art out onto the streets, they expose their works to a wide range of audiences… Top: Oneway project photography by Mariam Arcilla

CREATIVE CAREERS Forging a succesful career in the creative arts industry.

CREATIVECAREERS

JACK PICONE

Scarification. A young woman in the the Nuba Mountains, Sudan. 30

CREATIVECAREERS

a catalyst for change Article Heather Faulkner

“The difference between newspaper photography and documentary photojournalism,” says documentary photographer Jack Picone, “is like the difference between reading an airport novel and reading Tolstoy.” According to Picone, newspaper photojournalism, though valuable, is bound by timeliness and has a shelf life of only a day or two. But, he stresses, it’s incredibly important. “It helps people shape and form an opinion, it informs them,” he says. “But documentary photography is a completely different thing. “Documentary photography is a more comprehensive, more layered way of communicating. And often, you don’t have to apply objectivity to documentary photography—you can actually be making a statement, you can actually become an activist. You can take sides and make a statement through your work. That’s the difference.” Jack Picone was born in Moree, New South Wales, an outback town famous for cotton, beef cattle, pecans and other agricultural industries (in this regard it is the most productive shire in Australia), but not photography. He spent the first part of his childhood there—and remembers being taunted by other rural kids because of his dark hair and olive complexion.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Burmese and ethnic minorities live precarious lives on the Thai/Burma border. They have fled persecution by Burma’s brutal military goverment, whose soldiers have burned their villages to the ground, razed their crops and destroyed their livelihoods. The junta has crushed their communities through a relentless campaign of violence: murdering men, raping women and girls, and orphaning children. Surivivors who make the long and dangerous journey through dense jungles, across mountains and rivers, in their flight from oppression often illegally cross the border into Thailand. On the porous, shambolic border of Thailand they scrape a living as cheap labour, in sweat shops and in rice fields, on building sites and in grimy brothels. With no official status or ‘state of place’, their existence is suffused with fear and hardship. At any time they may be captured and deported on the whim of the Thai authorities, and returned in cattle trucks to the evil regime in Burma they have fled. Yet still they flock here to the Thai-Burmese border, striving to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

“They used to call me a wog,” he says, dryly. Top: Jack Picone on assignment in Zimbabwe; Middle: Thai/Burma Border 31

CREATIVECAREERS

Top: Thai/Burma border ‘State of Place’; Bottom: A sex worker solicits a possible client, Lahore Pakistan. 32

CREATIVECAREERS

“Documentary photography is a more comprehensive, more layered way of communicating,” Eventually, the Picones packed up and moved 640 kilometres east to Sydney, and Picone spent the rest of his growing-up days in the more culturally ambiguous suburb of Coogee. “I guess my family was a middle class suburban family. My father trained as an accountant, and later became a bookmaker. My mother was a homemaker,” he says. “For me, in many ways, it was quite onedimensional. After finishing school I really had no idea what to do.” Picone enrolled at the Institute of Technology to study economics and business. Though he passed all his courses, he lasted only a year. “Even then, at that young age, I worked out that life was pretty short and I’d need to live life in a more satisfying and fulfilling way than just chasing the dollar,” he says. He sat down one day and realised that if he didn’t want to go on in the business world of economics, he would have to do something. “Photojournalism was just a micro-plot, hatched by me,” says Picone. Having always enjoyed taking pictures—looking back in family albums his siblings would comment that all the interesting pictures were taken by him—he decided to combine his love of photography with his love of travelling. A year-long overland trip from Sydney to London in 1984, shooting only black and white film and keeping a diary, convinced him that he could make this his way of life. “I was so intoxicated by it,” he says. On arriving home in Sydney, he began to work as an assistant to a commercial advertising photographer. “But even then,” he says, “I was always moved by documentary photography and the ability to tell other people’s stories.” Three and a half years later, he started shooting for the now-defunct Australian Society magazine, photographing social documentary stories and honing his craft skills. He moved on from there to shooting for News Ltd. and then Fairfax publications in Sydney. Though Picone achieved a comfortable lifestyle as a staff photojournalist with the Sydney Morning Herald, he wanted more out of photojournalism. “[With newspaper work] you can only tell the story in a brief, onedimensional way,” says Picone. “You need time to get into it. The more the story unfolds in front of you, the more time you have to document it in an intimate, extended way.” Having recently covered the Gulf War for the Herald, and having found newspaper photography to be ‘cyclical’—he found himself shooting the same stories over and over again and he wanted to spend longer lengths of time on stories—he decided to pull up stakes and head overseas to Europe to begin his career as a documentary photographer. Since that time, Picone has worked around the globe on numerous projects. In 1994 he documented the Nuba and Tochjo people of the Nuba mountain ranges in Sudan (the first person to do so since Leni Riefenstahl in 1966). “I was close to the people I photographed—as much as someone like me, from a completely different world and culture, could be,” said Picone in an interview with Dutch journalist, Nanne op ‘t Ende. “I took a lot of time with the people, and in general worked hard at getting a rapport with the elders of the tribe, and showing the appropriate respect. I enjoyed sitting down and talking to the people and hearing their stories. Mind you, some of it got lost going from English to Arabic to their tribal dialect, and back again!” Picone has covered war zones and civil strife, including such tensionladen terrains as Angola, Bosnia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Tajikistan. In the space of a decade, he covered eight wars. In 1994 Picone reported

on the civil war in Sarajevo. His location was inundated with sniper fire, directed at the city from hidden Serbian militia in the hills surrounding the city. “Every time I left my hotel room I wondered if I was in the sniper’s cross-hairs,” he wrote in an article for the Sydney Morning Herald in May this year. “Would I be next? I really wanted to see the face of the sniper.” In May this year, Picone found himself covering the Red Shirts demonstrations in Bangkok (where he lives), from a different perspective—that of the Thai Army. In the same article, entitled ‘Is it OK to shoot foreigners and journalists?’ he recounts the tense moment when he overheard that ominous question directed from a soldier to a commanding officer—and realise that one of his colleagues whom he could see over in the Red Shirt encampment would be in the soldier’s rifle cross-hairs. Mobile technology allowed him to call her—“I say quietly: ‘I am with army snipers and I think you are in their sights, get the f--- out of there, move to the side. I would go down the side street now, they are going to shoot!’” Documentary photography is not all about the battlefield, though. To be a documentary photographer, says Picone, ‘you need to have a strong empathy for your subjects’. Picone defies the stereotype of the gungho, adrenlin junkie war photographer. In fact, in person he is soft-spoken, introspective and articulate. He favours a lemon-lime-and-bitters over the traditional photojournalist swill of beer and whiskey. This sensitivity is extended into his professional approach. For the past decade he has been documenting the pandemic of HIV/ AIDS for the Terence Higgins Aids Trust in London, as part of the monumental ‘Positive Lives’, project. Of this project he is particularly proud, yet philosophical. “You can’t change the world through documentary photography,” says Picone. “But can you be a positive catalyst for change? Yes. You can change things on micro levels. And of course, we all know of pictures that can have an effect on a macro level, that alter the paths of things that are happening in countries of political instability and turmoil.”

Jack Picone Master of Visual Arts (Photography), Griffith University A member of Degrees South—a documentary photography collective Awards Recipient of World Press Photo Daily Life Award, POY (Photographer of the Year, USA) Fifty Crows Award for Documentary Practice To view Jack Picone’s work, visit: www.jackpicone.com

Top right: Andrew enjoys quality time with his girlfriend and family in suburban Sydney. Andrew is HIV+ and suffers from a little known condition associated with Aids called ADC (Aids Dementia Complex).

CREATIVECAREERS

KEN CATO

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The real skill lies in the ability to think differently and solve problems... we have to be better thinkers, smarter thinkers.â&#x20AC;?

CREATIVECAREERS

australian design icon Article Dominique Falla

Chances are that even if you haven’t heard of graphic designer Ken Cato you would have seen at least three or four examples of his work in the past 24 hours. His designs for major corporations such as Coles, the Commonwealth Bank or Channel 7, not to mention QANTAS, SBS and Arnotts, have made these brands household names, even if he himself isn’t. Ken Cato has been designing in Australia for well over 35 years and has partners all over the globe. With offices in four continents, it is safe to say that the combined weight of Cato Purnell Partners is the largest design company in the southern hemisphere. Ken also champions creativity and the sharing of knowledge. In 1991 he conceived of the AGIdeas student conference that has since grown into one of the largest annual design conferences and, as Ken would say, ‘one of the best design conferences in the world’. Recently, Ken Cato took a rare break from his busy schedule to speak to students, staff, alumni and invited guests at the Queensland College of Art (QCA) Gold Coast and South Bank campuses. He showed samples of work from his forty years plus in the design industry and presented several recent case studies including his exquisite branding of Air India, and also the work he has done for Al Maktoum International Airport, the world’s largest airport located in Dubai. Both of these branding examples were very well received by the students. During the presentation, Ken expressed his disappointment at the practise of ‘free pitching’ within the design industry and he urged the designers in the room to refuse to free pitch so that we didn’t become like advertising agencies and architects having to engage in competitions for their work. He then went on to praise the potential of cross-cultural design as a way to ‘do design differently’ and he talked about his recent projects in India, Tijuana and Uruguay as ways of injecting freshness into his design. He also paid tribute to his clients and described them as creative colleagues. Ken also discussed the state of design education in this country and how he felt the courses and contact hours were no longer enough, especially when compared with the full-time four-year undergraduate degree that he experienced many decades ago. When asked about the future of design, he said that ‘technology has stripped us of the skill set that made us different. The real skill lies in the ability to think differently and solve problems… we have to be better thinkers, smarter thinkers’. The two day series of events were organised by Griffith Enterprise, in conjunction with the QCA and offered up opportunities for the students to network within the design industry and showcase their work in a variety of forums, as well as giving a range of designers the chance to hear Ken speak. QCA student Chris Bouffler summed up the experience best. “It was an incredible experience, sitting in a room full of like-minded people listening to one of Australia’s most iconic graphic designers discuss in detail the process behind his work and his opinion on what it takes to be a designer,” Chris says. “The calibre of his work was inspiring. It changed the way I view design and the industry I am stepping into.” Ken Cato Seminar Poster design by Ashleigh Brennan 35

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CLAUDIO KIRAC

“I thought the whole world was like New York, and I was wondering why the Gold Coast wasn’t!” 36

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more than just the creative behind Billabong Interview Carol Whittaker Photography Ella Johnston

As Creative Director Claudio Kirac has been responsible for the look of surf wear brand Billabong over recent years. I visited him at his Gold Coast home/studio in a 1970s neighbourhood, just a short drive from Billabong’s headquarters. CW: You mentioned to me the other day you were changing your role at Billabong. What’s happening there? CK: Yes, I’ve started my own agency, The Artwork Agency. I do a number of contractual days with Billabong per year and I’m looking for other clients and work. I’d like to represent artists and photographers down the track through the agency. For myself, I’ll be mainly focusing on photography with Billabong across the men’s and ladies brands plus the international [brands]. I’ve been a professional [photographer] for about eight years for Von Zipper, Billabong and associated companies, which is great. I’m still regarded as an employee [at Billabong] for a certain number of days a week and I still work for the US component of Billabong for their catalogue. CW: So is your role still Creative Director at Billabong? CK: No. I don’t know what you’d call it. I’m a photographer and marketing consultant. But there will be that Creative Director umbrella because I oversee a lot of stuff, mainly projects they’re working on—to provide feedback. CW: What’s your creative process? CK: With graphics, I’m usually briefed by the client and they’ll know what they want and what it’s for—whether it’s for t-shirts, board shorts or a book cover—then I’ll end up interpreting my style. If I go and just do my own graphic style it ends up ‘left-of-centre’ or ‘out-there’ and they really don’t know how to approach it. So I’ll usually end up using bits of my idea and re-jigging it or re-evaluating it for the relevant project. CW: Where does this point of difference come from? CK: From what I’m seeing and what I think will be on-trend—as a forecast for the future many seasons ahead. [The client will say] ‘Oh, I don’t think we can run with that because I don’t think anyone will buy it’. And I’ll end up doing it for myself (not for sale or a money perspective) and it ends up being very, very popular. Like the t-shirts I did for Semi-Permanent [an Australian design conference] that I gave out to the crowd—a psychedelic tiedie thing—and when people wore them their reaction was like, ‘Wow! These are amazing, you should be making them’. CW: So you’re a trendsetter? CK: Trendsetter. Definitely. CW: You’re almost a fashion futurist. Do you have a connection with futurist things or does it come from your gut feeling? CK: A bit of both. I do read trend reports and things like that but I take them with a grain of salt. It’s usually my gut instinct or something that is totally not relevant to the graphic design process. CW: So, what’s your connection with the Gold Coast? CK: I’ve been here since 1985. My schooling and college was here. I’ve always loved the lifestyle and I’ve been blessed to be able to travel quite a bit with what I do professionally. So it’s great to come back here.

CW: What’s lacking on the Gold Coast that could benefit the region creatively and culturally? CK: In the past couple of years there’s been artist-run spaces or galleries that promote younger generations of people that want to exhibit. There are other initiatives too, for instance, fashion stores that support artwork. People moving away from the Coast and taking their talents with them is a bit of a negative. It’s sad but there’s always a new breed that will come through especially from places like QCA [Queensland College of Art], which is awesome. CW: What’s your uniqueness? CK: I have a light-hearted approach to serious matters, which doesn’t make me naïve, it means I can see through the gloss. There is a time to be serious as well—like when I work on charity events and fundraisers. CW: So what’s your involvement with these? CK: For the PhilTRON event I did for my friend last year (he was stuck down by a motor neurone disease) I played in the band. We had a night of art and music and all the money went to help his medical treatments. Every dollar. Then there’s the Design for Humanity that Billabong supports. Last year I did a surfboard piece for them that was auctioned for the SurfAid charity. CW: Are you selling your private artwork through anyone? CK: I used to be represented by Gallery Schubert at Marina Mirage, but now there’s Anthea Polsen Art. Mrs Schubert was a huge supporter. She was interested in who was up-and-coming and she purchased some of my early works. CW: They haven’t locked you in for a show? CK: No, it’s up to me to finish that solid body of work, which I’m feeling ready for—now that I’ve stripped back my full days in front of the computer. I just want to have a surf and paint for eight hours. CW: How do you feel when your work gets sold? CK: I’m fine about it. It’s really good to go to a house where you know your work is and you see its matured and it’s like, ‘Wow! This is were it lives’. And t-shirts. You see people walking down the street with them on and there’s no separation anxiety. I see my designs on people all the time. You feel proud when you see that. CW: How did you get started—what got your artistic interest? CK: MAD magazine. I thought the whole world was like New York and I was wondering why the Gold Coast wasn’t! I learnt so much from MAD magazine as popular culture. I’d draw copies of Garfield, Star Wars, and Ghostbusters and all these pop culture icons. They really influenced me as I was growing up. CW: Have you had a mentor, someone who’s given you some direction or guidance? CK: I have them now, more than ever. They’d be for life skills and business things. Also muses and friends have been my guidance and mentors, with sharing ideas and making projects come to fruition. That’s really important for me and I’m very blessed to have those friendships that come and go. And have stayed.

MICHAEL RAYNER

CREATIVECAREERS

art & architecture Article Carol Whittaker Photography Camille Santiago

At the Brisbane office of Cox Rayner Architects, overlooking the Brisbane River and City Botanic Gardens, I realise something is different. There isn’t the familiar cooling from an air-conditioning system, instead, the office is ventilated naturally through the building’s sash windows. This is a firm that adopts the principle of sustainability in an effective way. The principal of Cox Rayner Architects, Michael Rayner, greets me with a welcoming smile before leading me into his spacious boardroom. He shares with me a story from his early days as a graduate architect working in the Sydney office of Cox Architects; a frightening confrontation with the union ‘boys’ of a crooked developer made him realise it was a ‘wrong’ project. This experience led to Michael developing a moral conscience and understanding that there is a responsibility associated with what architects do—an ethos he has stuck to throughout his career. As a highly respected architect, I ask him what his proudest achievements have been. His answer is two-fold:

Michael relocated from Sydney to Brisbane in 1990 and as a migrant to Queensland, his perception of the Gold Coast is changing. “I no longer have that negativity to the Gold Coast. I used to. It was easy to knock it but now I don’t think it’s deserved,” says Michael. “What’s changed your thinking?” I ask. “The realisation that it has evolved over a long period of time, and you can’t throw that away.” I continue this line of thought on whether, apart from the built infrastructure on the Gold Coast, there are opportunities to develop the cultural, creative and artistic environment. “I think it almost should be the corner of an artistic hub. The fact it’s such an urban place suggests there ought to be a very strong cultural heart to it. I would have thought the Gold Coast would be a great breeding ground for massive amounts of artistic activity—anything that’s highly digital, highly transient, installation, multi-interpretive —that is incredibly progressive, like the city is.”

“My proudest achievements are seen in a lot of public policy and strategy changes and the way we have been able to affect the way we undertake urban planning in Queensland,” he explains. These policies include the Queensland State Government’s Smart Cities Strategy, which is being implemented as the ‘River City Blueprint’, and the development of the Queensland Design Strategy, both projects Michael is very proud of. “If I had to say buildings or things: Kurilpa Pedestrian Bridge [Brisbane] would be up there,” Michael continues. “Either of the two market projects [Ferry Road Market, Gold Coast, and James Street Market, Brisbane], because I think they’ve changed the typology of retail. From a crafting perspective: a project called Ipswich Courts is right at the top of what we’ve achieved, because we managed to combine a number of philosophical, architectural and artistic objectives in the one place.” Cox Rayner Architects have a pool of around 20 artists drawn from a range of disciplines including digital, performance, sculpture, painting and lighting. “We work with artists. We’re not hiring them to do an artwork. We are hiring them because of the way they think,” Michael explains. “With some aspects of our projects you can’t tell if the artist did it or if we did.” I ask Michael how he sees the future of the Gold Coast, in particular as an artistic and cultural precinct. “Put simply, the Gold Coast is a phenomenon. The glitz and the glamour are part of its intrinsic nature. It’s been happening for 40 or 50 years,” Michael says. “I don’t want to change the vaguely Vegaslike fertile ground and try and implant something else. I would rather get underneath what people like about that kind of environment, and to develop different solutions, rather than imposing them on people.” What is important for the Gold Coast, Michael explains, is keeping the focus on the ground plane such as the Broadwater Parkland. “There are real opportunities to create a much closer grain … knitting together a city should be a major focus, and I think artists can play a very strong role in that, even if it’s in a Vegas-like way.”

“We work with artists. We’re not hiring them to do an artwork. We’re hiring them because of the way they think.” 39

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YELLOW GOAT

DESIGN 40

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lighting the way Article Anne-Maree Garcia

Imagine being able to capture a handful of stars and then flinging them at a wizard. As the stars hurtle towards the wizard he waves his arms and the stars coalesce into a giant flower or a sparkling waterfall or a colossal ice cube suspended metres above your head. Now imagine that you could go online and see the results of that wizardry, and order those results to be installed in your own space.

designed to bring a sense of unique beauty to the environments in which they are installed. Outside of Australia, Yellow Goat Design have created lights for multi-million dollar homes in Miami, luxury yachts in Germany, hotels and corporate buildings in Spain, Chile, Bangkok, Dubai, and ski resorts in Montreal, Canada, and the list is growing all the time.

Yellow Goat Design is a Gold Coast company that specialises in creating beautiful architectural light displays. Their work is in high demand around the world, by architects and interior designers. You can find the work of Yellow Goat in cities such as Montreal, Canada; Miami, Florida; Singapore; Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane and of course, the Gold Coast.

Yellow Goat Design was originally established in 1997 to produce the limited edition prints of artist Jerzy Lesko. Jerzy is an internationally renowned visual artist whose paintings have been represented in art galleries around the world. Needing a light for his painting studio, Jerzy designed and built a prototype that started him on a parallel career as a designer and manufacturer of unusual lighting fixtures.

Yellow Goat Design specialise in creating lighting fixtures for corporate clients includes exclusive resorts and hotels, casinos, nightclubs and sophisticated office buildings. They also provide fixtures for architects who design the kinds of homes that you might expect to see in highend glossy magazines. The luminaires that Yellow Goat creates are objects of desire, as much as they are illumination devices. They are

Since then, Jerzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s combination of artistic creativity and technical skills has led to the creation and production of many spectacular lighting installations. As worldwide demand for Yellow Goat Design lighting has increased, so has the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to employ many skilled and creative Gold Coasters. The company now employs 22 people at its Southport studio and factory site, which breaks down to five

Left: Dandelion; Above: Acero urchin pendant. Images supplied by Yellow Goat Design. 41

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designers, five admin staff for sales and marketing, and 12 people in production on the factory floor. Yellow Goat Design have a policy that all designers must work in the production of lighting fixtures on the factory floor for six months prior to starting their own designs, so that they are fully versed in the technical capabilities of the materials they will be designing for. Yellow Goat Design is a family business with the designing department still headed by Jerzy Lesko. His partner, Sandra Lesko, manages the administrative side of the business while their sons, Nicholas Lesko, Yellow Goat Design’s Managing Director, oversees the production and installation of all the lighting fixtures and Dominic Lesko, is in charge of the ISO:9001 quality assurance program. Yellow Goat Design is an industry leader in artistic innovative architectural lighting design. Design director Jerzy Lesko leads a team of talented designers who are innovative and thoughtful in their use of cutting-edge technology. Interestingly, all the designers at Yellow Goat Design are Queensland College of Art graduates, from both the Southbank and Gold Coast campuses. Gold Coast alumni consist of Conrad Johnsson and Richard Neville, while the Southbank campus has contributed to the skills of Samantha Brown, Adrianna Arboleda and DaSomm Choi, who are members of the stable of designers at Yellow Goat.

“Our ultimate aim is to design for the rest of the world from the Gold Coast.”

Conrad Johnsson designed a magnificent light installation called ‘Firefly’, that hangs in the atrium over the stairs at the QCA Gold Coast campus. You may also know Richard Neville as the designer of the Flux coffee mugs that are available for sale from the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. The future is bright for Yellow Goat Design who are opening an American factory in January 2011. Yellow Goat also plan to open an Indian factory in the next couple of years to provide their high quality designs to the burgeoning Indian market. Nicholas Lesko has this advice for budding designers. “Companies need employees who can bring innovation to their own work,” he says. “At Yellow Goat Design, we are a very creative company and we are always evolving—we are moving into furnishings and homewares so we need people who are both skilled and creative. In the next five years, we plan to have Yellow Goat homewares stores, so we hope that our products will be available in major business centres throughout the world. “Our ultimate aim to design for the rest of the world from the Gold Coast.” www.yellowgoat.com.au Phone: 07 5532 8659 Fax: 07 5591 4733 Email: info@yellowgoat.com.au Top: Phat; Bottom: Fat Fuzzy Thing. Images supplied by Yellow Goat Design 42

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Top: The Knot. Image supplied by Yellow Goat Design.; Middle and bottom: Yellow Goat Design workshop photography by Anne-Maree Garcia 43

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MARK GOUDIE

CREATIVECAREERS

Brandhaus: a surprise success story Article Dominique Falla Photography Ella Johnston

You might be surprised to learn that Mark Goudie, owner of one of the Gold Coast’s most successful branding agencies, wasn’t a very good student. “I finished Queensland College of Art (QCA) in 1994 and actually, I wasn’t very good at it. I failed my first year—I was 17, so my head wasn’t really into it.” But it appears Mark was very good at working, landing his first design job during his second year at Griffith University, and before completing his two-year Associate Diploma in Commercial Art, was already working full time. It really didn’t bother Mark too much that he was failing subjects, but ‘it bothered the QCA lecturers,’ he laughs, before citing lecturer Robyn Peacock-Smith as one of the grounding factors who helped him pass his assignments and ultimately finish his degree.

for a wide range of clients and industries, and designing to suit the message rather than ourselves, is really the only way to go.” A quick glance through the Brandhaus online folio will reveal a wide range of impressive branding solutions, but one that stands out in Mark’s mind are the beautiful images they created for Soul Mystique, the dancing duo who won Australia’s Got Talent recently. “It was a big leap of faith for them and the fact they trusted me with their image, and how happy they were with the end result, was really very satisfying.” Mark has good reason to be satisfied. The work produced at Brandhaus is beautiful, and inspires their clients, as well as a whole range of design students at the Queensland College of Art, when they see how well one of their own has done.

Robyn could obviously see the potential in the young student—and her faith in him paid off. After working as a freelancer for several years, Mark started his own design studio, Creative Infusion, in 1997 and relaunched as Brandhaus (and its sister company Webhaus), three years ago. The move to focus on branding proved very successful, landing prestigious clients including the Q1 Resort and Spa and QDeck, as well as Circle on Cavill, Von Zipper and other Gold Coast icons almost immediately. Mark puts his success down to his drive and passion ‘to do better each time’. “It’s all about trying to do better within myself. It doesn’t matter what the project is, even if it’s just a DL flyer or something that’s not perceived as all that great, I take the view that it’s a great job and it gives me the opportunity to do something better,” he explains. This drive has meant that he has never really had to advertise because the word of mouth referrals have built the business from Mark freelancing to, at times, a ten-person design studio. As their folio shows, this organic way of building the business results in a diverse range of clients and industry types. Brandhaus is currently in the process of scaling down in size because at their largest Mark felt like he was losing touch with the work the studio was producing; and to him, building relationships with clients is the most important part of the business of branding.

“I finished QCA in 1994 and actually, I wasn’t very good at it. I failed my first year.”

Now at a comfortable size, with a core group of four, Mark prefers to call on freelancers as he needs them, which has enabled him to concentrate on developing a unique strategy for each client and refining the process of developing a deep understanding of his clients’ needs. “At Brandhaus we’re all about strategy. It is very important for us to understand the message we’re trying to communicate for our clients before we start designing,” Mark explains. “We prefer to take a holistic approach to designing the brand, so we have created a process that engages both us and the client, without actually having to see the client.” Working remotely is an important factor in Brandhaus’ ability to remain on the Gold Coast. Removing the need to see clients face-to-face has enabled Brandhaus to work successfully with clients in Sydney and Melbourne even Dubai. Mark describes the key to success on the Gold Coast as the ability to be flexible. “We don’t have one design style, and the Gold Coast doesn’t have one design style—it’s really too small to ‘niche’. Working

GOLD COAST ICONS A passion for creativity is a driving factor behind many Gold Coast industries.

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steve tyerman’s

WASTELAND

Above: ‘Circle of Life’ 168cm x 152cm

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mankind & his environment Article Susan Lang-Lemckert

Having maintained an artistic presence for more than four decades, the Astras family holds one of the longest-established galleries in Australia, and is passionate about presenting and showcasing art that is both cutting-edge and sought by collectors—like the works of Gold Coast-based contemporary artist Steve Tyerman. Steve draws inspiration for his work from aesthetically interesting imagery, which in turn may be prompted by anything from reading Shakespeare to sighting the coastal landscape and its built environment. Graduating from the University of Technology, Sydney with first-class Honours in 1997 and with a University Medal to his credit, Steve took to the road, finding inspiration for many of his earlier works—most notably To Walk a Mile—from his travels. This innovative work featured a series of shoes heavily weighted with colour and texture to evoke stories and memories from Steve’s journeys. He also continued exploring ideas that incorporated his immediate landscape into imagery from a variety of experiences, including our interaction with the Gold Coast landscape and ‘our choking love of the Coast’. These landscape artworks are composite pictures aimed at capturing the ‘experience of place’ as opposed to single and incomplete views, and represent an effort to express Steve’s own visual and emotional sensations of his surroundings while also reflecting the people, relationships, art, literature and travels that have helped shape who he is and the way he sees the world. Steve endeavours to combine cultural interests, particularly from art and literature of the past, with the world around him. From here, ideas are formed and then built into a body of works, as he seeks as many ways of expressing those ideas as potently or poignantly as he can. “As a visual artist I am very much concerned with creating things I haven’t seen before, things that somehow connect me back into the world I live in and give me a new experience of it,” he says. Steve’s latest works, which are fundamentally about man and the landscape—a collision of mankind and his environment— are featured at Astras Galleries. Steve considers most of these paintings in terms of landscapes, but of a type that reflects modern society and is shaped by the way we live, buried beneath the remnants of our apparent materialistic inclinations. He suggests this is a fast-paced, consumerist, throw-away world, full of waste and neglect, but also full of colour, beauty, variety, choice, opportunity and joy. Steve’s ambition behind this Wasteland series is for the artworks to resonate with the power of these elements. The works feature elements as diverse as stacked books, used paint tubes and landfill images. Steve has used books in many

of his works as a symbol of visual and literary culture and, in this series, he has sought to construct a type of landscape (or still life) from them. The ‘bookscapes’ also engage with the technological subject matter explored in other works as they have in a sense been replaced by electronic sources of reference. The idea to use paint tubes as part of the Wasteland series came about when Steve began to think about the waste generated from his own studio. He states that even in this most solitary of endeavours, the amount of paint wasted and the many plastic tubes that are thrown away evoked the idea of how he could use what would otherwise end up in the garbage. “I’ve imagined a studio-based landscape or still life created out of the remnants of my own selfish pursuit—it is the waste I create while trying to create something worthwhile,” he says. Steve’s works can be viewed alongside those of other talented contemporary artists like Emma Sheldrake, Kathrin Longhurst, John Maitland and Joel Rea at the Gold Coast’s Astras Galleries, a forerunner in the promotion and exhibition of Australian artists— not only in Queensland, but at national and international level. Occupying a world-class exhibition space overlooking the sparkling Broadwater at Marina Mirage, the gallery also houses an extensive range of fine investment art to satisfy the most discerning critic or collector, and the Astras Galleries’ expert team welcome you to enjoy a memorable art gallery experience at their unique artistic realm. Featured Australian Masters include Charles Blackman, Robert Dickerson, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley and Norman Lindsay. www.astrasgalleries.com.au

Top right: ‘Bulldozer’ 168cm x 152cm

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“My dad dealt with huge rocks, and I deal with little rocks. Although the rocks I deal with are slightly more valuable.”

Caption

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a brilliant career Article Susan Lang-Lemckert

“Jewellery design didn’t run in my family,” explains John Calleija, internationally-renowned designer and Principal of Calleija Jewellers. “We’re from the trucking and earthmoving industry—my dad dealt with huge rocks, and I deal with little rocks. Although the rocks I deal with are slightly more valuable.”

In the 18 years since opening the first store, Calleija Jewellers has moved to a larger salon at Marina Mirage and has been joined by another in Sydney and one in London’s Bond Street. High-profile Calleija devotees include Claudia Schiffer, Erica Packer and late, great tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

For John it’s all about passion and finding our niche—neither of which may be evident at the outset of our career.

But to succeed and grow on a commercial level, creativity must be supported by business acumen and an effective, cohesive workforce— something John remains acutely aware of.

“Though looking back, I had been preparing to be a jeweller since I was a little boy, when I spent hours drawing,” he says. With his Higher School Certificate behind him and little idea of what he wanted to do career-wise, the turning point was when John attended an interview with a Sydney jeweller who was seeking an apprentice. “I didn’t have any passion for jewellery then—all of the passion was ignited from that meeting,” he recalls. “The jeweller explained the profession to me, and I thought: ‘Wow I’d love to do that!’ The next day he called to say I had the job… I’m so appreciative of the break I got.” Passion ignited, John worked hard learning his craft, moving from manufacture to design, and eventually opening a store of his own in Sanctuary Cove—“against a lot of people’s advice,” he points out. “I’d worked for six months to create beautiful pieces for the store,” he says, “then opened the doors for the first time, with no experience in retail—I’d always been at the bench. “People looked through the window and came into the shop, saying: ‘This is incredible—we’ve never seen anything like this before!’ But noone bought anything… then at five o’clock a visiting American came in and asked me about an opal piece I had in the window.

“We’ve set a standard to be maintained, and we’re very mindful of that,” he says. “When you’re running a business, it has to be like a well-tuned engine—all of the systems have to be firing beautifully for the machine to run. “In this case, that means our marketing has to be correct, the store and team have to be immaculate, and the finances must be in check. These days you can’t afford to drop the ball.” Which echoes something John remembers one of his schoolteachers saying: ‘Boys—when you leave here and you get into the real world, you will only get back what you put in’. “As you go on in life, you realise the truth in that,” says John. “If you give nothing, you’ll get nothing. But if you do everything properly, it will come back to you tenfold, in both enjoyment and success. “It takes a lot of energy, but you’ll find that energy if you’ve got the passion. And once something ignites your passion, you’ll just roll with it for the rest of your life. Provided you’re being true to yourself and it’s something you really love, you’ll be fine.” And there’s no need to panic if you haven’t yet found your true passion or vocation, says John.

“Although I’d made the piece, I wasn’t an authority on opals, so I told him what I knew about it, and he asked how long I’d been in business. I said: ‘Since nine o’clock this morning.’ And he said: ‘Well, it’s beautiful. I’ll be your first customer.’

“Students may not find their niche until after university, when they get into the right environment through work or further study,” he says. “I didn’t find mine until I became a jeweller—then I moved into design, retailing, and running a store… and now I run three of them.

“Then I went out and celebrated—I was so excited that this man had chosen to spend his money on something I’d created,” says John, who ranks that first sale, along with his win of the 2000 De Beers Diamonds International Award, as career peaks.

“It’s just a matter of finding out what gift you’ve been stamped with, and following it. If you do that, you’ll always be right. You shouldn’t fight it.” www.calleija.com

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GREAT FOUNDATIONS 52

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following tradition Article Infront Communications

Its timeless architectural elegance and spectacular natural setting create a unique sense of place and a special Queensland spirit. When it comes to spectacular design and architecture on the Gold Coast, the luxurious Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove resort, located at Sanctuary Cove, is something that the architects and developers can be extremely proud of. Constructed 22 years ago, at the same time and by the same team that designed and created Sanctuary Cove, the concept was to create a resort hotel that would be recognised worldwide, and one which would remain unique to Sanctuary Cove. The brief was twofold. Sanctuary Cove Developer Mike Gore wanted a five-star hotel that provided guests with a very Australian experience. His vision was for something that was comfortable, rather than pretentious; domestic rather than commercial; and ultimately something to show how proud he was to be an Australian, while Hyatt International called for a ‘flagship’—the world’s first 100 per cent Regency Club Class hotel with the best facilities and service available. With both of these priorities in mind, the designers visited the site, where they stood on the hill among the tall eucalyptus trees in the filtered sunlight, enjoying the tranquility of the gentle breeze coupled with the sound of the lorikeets and kookaburras; it was during this initial visit that they began to appreciate the special quality of the site.

including a series of stone terraces and pools that cascade down the site towards the lagoon pool and river. Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove boasts five guest room pavilions placed amongst the trees, each designed to be sympathetic with the ‘original’ buildings. The convention ballroom is reminiscent of a converted shearing shed and, until only a few years ago, the design included a specialty restaurant in one of the original outbuildings of the homestead which is now used for weddings, functions and special events. And to retain the serene atmosphere of the site, yet maintain the desired domestic scale, the architects broke the design of the hotel into separate pavilions. Each of the three story guest pavilions are set into the natural slope of the hillside and were originally designed to operate as ‘mini-hotels, complete with their own Regency Lounge. All rooms are oriented outwards with panoramic views of either the golf course, spectacular one-acre lagoon pool or picturesque Coomera River. The hotel’s one-acre beach lagoon pool is absolutely sensational and is now recognised as one of the top six resort pools in Australia. The level of craftsmanship throughout the resort is nothing short of spectacular and reminiscent of ‘the good old days’ when bricklayers and carpenters took pride in what they created. There’s no doubting that the designers of the resort did an exceptional job in meeting their brief. Even after 22 years, the hotel exudes a romance that is shared by only a handful of truly ‘grand’ resort hotels throughout the world. Its timeless architectural elegance and spectacular natural setting create a unique sense of place and a special Queensland spirit. www.sanctuarycove.regency.hyatt.com

The Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove Design Team Architects The Hulbert Group Pty Ltd

From that point the team knew what they needed to create. The five-star hotel design had to be reminiscent of the traditional Queensland style—it had to be Australian through and through, while still preserving the atmosphere they experienced on that very first day.

Interior Designers Hirsch Bedner + Associates

It was decided that the resort would be created to emulate a well established Australian homestead, with the design centred around the scenario of a turn of the century homestead being ‘discovered’ after years of neglect, and renovated into a first class resort hotel.

Mechanical Engineers/Lift Design

In order to achieve the desired style, the Canadian based designers had to further their understanding of traditional Queensland architecture. They consulted countless books on the subject and visited and photographed numerous ‘Queenslanders’ in various suburbs of Brisbane, before coming up with their spectacular design.

Landscape & Civil Design Don Monger Landscaping

The main lobby building was planned to resemble a ‘Great House’, complete with a grand entry portico and landscaped gardens

Project Co-ordination William Huffer Consultants

Structural Engineers Ove Arup & Partners Fire Services/Electrical Consultants Norman Disney & Young Specialist Lighting Design Lightsource Inc Hydraulic Engineers Weathered How & Assoc. Landscape Concept Design Belt Collins & Assoc. Pool Area Hydraulic Consultants Earl Covington & Assoc. Quantity Surveyors Rider Hunt & Partners Surveyors Sharpe & Skehan Pty Ltd Resort Management & Design F.F and En

GOLDCOASTICONS

DRIVEN BY

VISION Creativity has many colours

GOLDCOASTICONS

Article Richard Blundell Photography Mark Burgin

Driving into Sanctuary Cove is an education in itself. A distinctive mix of order and openness is immediately apparent as I’m greeted by a string of public artworks and thoughtful landscaping. I’m here to meet Alison Quinn, Executive General Manager of Mulpha Sanctuary Cove (Developments) Pty Limited. As an educator in creativity and design, I’m questioning what can be learnt! I’m mindful that this development is 23 years old now. I’m on the lookout for clues about how this Gold Coast icon is fairing and what the future of development on the Gold Coast might look like. I get a warm welcome from Alison at the Mulpha office. Openness comes easily—and we quickly get down to discussing the driving influences at Sanctuary Cove. Alison is proud of the positive long-term influence property developments can have in a region. “We remain a visionary development for the Gold Coast. I’m particularly proud of the leadership this development has provided,” she says. Alison Quinn has spent all her working life in property development and she tells me how Sanctuary Cove has matured into a wellintegrated community and one of the most successful masterplanned estates in Australia. Strolling around The Marine Village supports Alison’s analysis. Sanctuary Cove is a place where people do love keeping in touch. Golf carts are the preferred mode of transport. The carts give the streetscape an inspired and quirky form of community connection. Alexander Lotersztain’s street furniture, inspired by boat cleats, adds to this relaxed quirkiness. But The Marine Village also blends serious community essentials. The medical centre, pharmacy and post office work in seamlessly with fashion and business services, cafes, restaurants and bars. “Creative connections are not addons in property development,” Alison tells me. “Creative vision has always influenced this development. “Creativity has many colours,” says Alison highlighting recent events involving an international writers festival at the Village Theatre in The Marine Village. “I think there are expanding creative opportunities that the Gold Coast needs to make.” I ask for an example! “Look at the National Rugby League (NRL) football. The Titans are a national success. Who would have predicted that ten years ago? And now we have the new Australian Football League (AFL) team, the Suns! Who has done football and food well? There are opportunities for the Gold Coast to combine fine dining and sport. The Gold Coast could be the place where it could work! It’s all about finding new visions for the future. “Sanctuary Cove is about developing connections in the region and often we form a bridge between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. As a community, the Gold Coast needs imagination.” I can see the point Alison is making. Alison Quinn captures the spirit of Sanctuary Cove perfectly. “I’m particularly proud of our urban design. The golf club house is a good example. Our success is built on a long view.” The creative fusion throughout the development does give a friendly and welcoming sense of place. The care taken with the urban design gives it a distinctive presence. Alison has an affinity for good design and the creation of places with connection to the environment and healthy living are top priority for her. “But it’s also about simpler living,” she insists. “I have a beach shack

on South Stradbroke Island.” Alison tells me by way of explanation. “It’s about being in touch with the true qualities of a place.” There is a clear sense of open hospitality and of community at Sanctuary Cove. It is easy to feel included and to be carried along by Alison’s enthusiasm and vision for the future. “We need to continue finding new creative connections. Mulpha looks forward to playing our part in building these connections. The region needs to tap into the talent of students at the Queensland College of Art (QCA) on the Gold Coast for example. “Are students at the QCA interested in developing concepts for furniture and public art for Mulpha?” I’m happy to say they are. To be continued… www.sanctuarycove.com Above: Alison Quinn Executive General Manager of Mulpha Sanctuary Cove (Developments) Pty Limited

PAST STUDENTS Opportunities and careers in the creative arts are as many and varied as the students themselves.

PASTSTUDENTS

DALE DE LA REY

PASTSTUDENTS

the big picture

Article Heather Faulkner Photography Dale de la Rey

Dale de la Rey graduated in July 2009 with a Bachelor of Visual Media with a major in ePhotojournalism, specialising in Editorship and Publication (The Argus) and Text Journalism. “The highlight of the degree,” he says, “was learning from skilled lecturers with extensive experience in the photojournalism industry who passed on a lot of useful practical knowledge. This is the strongest aspect of the program—it allows you to learn the latest industry trends and to receive constructive criticism of your work, as well as giving access to useful contacts.” A close-knit community of ePhotojournalism students was also helpful, he says, as ‘they are all passionate about photojournalism’ Now working as a photojournalist for AFP (Agence France-Presse) in Hong Kong, one of the world’s top three wire agencies, Dale recently spent time as picture editor on the AFP desk in New Delhi, India. “Working in this industry gives you the chance to be in places— both good and bad—that most people don’t get the opportunity to experience,” he says. “I think it makes you look twice at things, as you have a better general awareness of news and issues around the world. The skills I’ve learned have taken me to Hong Kong and India this year, so the ePhotojournalism major has already had a huge influence on me.”

According to Dale, the ePhotojournalism major also provides students with a lot of opportunities to use different contemporary journalism mediums, like photography and video. “But the challenge is to carry on practicing these skills,” he says. Most of all, Dale finds being a photojournalist is both rewarding and challenging on a daily basis. “It’s one of those professions where you can push it as hard as you like, and most days are different,” says Dale. “I also enjoy the competitive aspect of trying to make a unique picture that stands out from the rest.”

“I also enjoy the competitive aspect of trying to make a unique picture that stands out from the rest.”

PASTSTUDENTS

KATIE GARVAN

PASTSTUDENTS

unique perspective of the world Article Heather Faulkner Photography Katie Garvan

Katie Garvan graduated in December 2009 with a Bachelor of Visual Media majoring in ePhotojournalism and specialising in Editorship and Publication (The Argus) and Web/Multimedia. She is the former Managing Editor of The Argus, the online visual journalism magazine of the ePhotojournalism Editorship and Publication specialisation at the Gold Coast. She is currently operating a professional wedding film company and plans on pursuing documentary projects in the near future. Highlighting Katie’s study was the opportunity to travel and study with the university. Katie participated in the July 2009 study trip to Prague, Czech Republic with the Bachelor of Visual Media, led by ePhotojournalism convenor Heather Faulkner. Katie focused her time in Prague on researching the former StB (Secret Police) files and the people who subsequently found their lives detailed in the reports once they were made public. For many, it was a bittersweet ending to decades of suspicion and angst over who had turned their lives upside-down. As she discovered, the satisfaction of learning who, amongst friends and family, had reported on you was often quashed as the files had been heavily censored—names of informants were blacked out in ink. The subsequent ‘Twenty-Years-After’ special section of The Argus featured Katie’s documentation on the StB files as a multimedia piece, drawing on her skills in documentary photography and videography. In January 2010 Katie travelled again with the university, this time to Cambodia and Vietnam. In Cambodia she documented life in the garbage dump of Siem Reap. On returning to the Gold Coast, her stories were published in another The Argus special section. The Prague and Cambodia trips led to opportunities for Katie. “It was the

most amazing experience ever—especially having Heather Faulkner and adjunct professor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning documentary photographer, John Rodsted, to share their previous experiences with us.” Katie considers the skills she learned at the Gold Coast to be advantageous in achieving professional goals. She lists digital photography, video, audio and other online multimedia skills as having been invaluable to her career. “Being multi-skilled—not just a photographer, but also knowing video (capturing and editing with Final Cut Pro), audio and multimedia (web design, magazine and newspaper design) gave me an edge,” she says. “But having been taught by industry professionals has been the most valuable aspect of the degree. “It was awesome to have such an intimate, tight-knit group of people involved in our major—getting involved in philosophical debates, working together at The Argus, it’s given me a really unique perspective on the world.” According to Katie, learning from professional photojournalists with international experience was invaluable. “To have someone who has actually experienced photojournalism as a career—as opposed to someone who has only experienced photojournalism via textbooks— was so inspiring and motivating,” she said. Completing the ePhotojournalism major has changed the way Katie thinks about the world. “I have always wanted to do something with a career that I loved and that helped people. Doing this degree has made me realise that this is actually possible. And this has made me even more determined and passionate to use my skills not only to educate and inform people but get the ‘untold’ stories out to the world.”

Above: Katie Garvan 61

FABIANA GUERREIRO PASTSTUDENTS

PASTSTUDENTS

demonstrating diversity Article Heather Faulkner Photography Fabiana Guerreiro

Fabiana Guerreiro spent her Honours year in Portugal, documenting the plight of the Romani (gypsy) population in a remote village three hours’ drive from her parents’ home in Lisbon. This experience yielded a multimedia project now gaining international attention for its sensitive treatment of a people who are to this day continually marginalised and displaced. “Being able to focus on projects I was passionate about, and having support and feedback from my teachers was a great highlight of my student journeys in ePhotojournalism,” she says. Learning multimedia storytelling skills has sharpened Fabiana’s professional competitiveness. “In my opinion, photojournalism has benefited greatly as a result of the digital revolution,” she says. “Combining video and audio with traditional still photography narrative, means all elements complement the visual story and broaden the viewer’s opportunity to engage more directly and intimately with the story and subject. “Learning those skills is a big advantage, as they have improved the reach of storytelling in contemporary photojournalism.” Studying with professional photojournalists challenged Fabiana’s perception of the world by demonstrating diverse ideas. “It inspired me to want to go out there and photograph the world,” she says. “Studying ePhotojournalism made me want to challenge my limits and expand my experience outside of Australia. One of my main goals is to explore the world with my camera.”

“Look beyond the obvious, be curious, and always photograph with passion!” The program also forced Fabiana to consider the theoretical underpinnings of the documentary photography practice. “It transformed the way I look at things,” she says. “The way I photograph reflects the person I am—or at least my view on the story. It really created a base from which I can begin to test and affirm my knowledge of the world.” Fabiana loves the freedom of being a photojournalist. “You can be creative and choose from a range of different subjects and issues to focus on, explore and photograph. You meet so many interesting people and you grow and learn every day with it,” she admits. “You get to travel and to not only share stories, but also life experiences. I wouldn’t choose any other profession over this—it reflects who I want to be.” And Fabiana’s recommendation for those interested in studying ePhotojournalism? “Look beyond the obvious, be curious, and always photograph with passion!”

MARI HIRATA

PASTSTUDENTS

Mari’s work has been compared on occasions to the work of famous Australian photographer Olive Cotton, for its use of formality and femininity, and the skilled use of light and shadow in domestic settings. Top: ‘Heels Hoist Series #4 (Play)’ (2007); Bottom: ‘Blue Cliff’ (2003) 64

PASTSTUDENTS

big shoes to fill Article Sharne Wolff Photography Mari Hirata

Mari Hirata is a young, award winning Queensland artist who studied at the Queensland College of Art (QCA). Mari completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Fine Art at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus in 2001. She went on to study for her Master of Arts in Visual Arts at QCA, graduating with a Major in Photography in 2002. Mari’s artistic career began with a flying start when a major collector purchased one of her black and white photographs from a Gold Coast gallery before she had even left university. Although she was interested in various aspects of the visual arts at the time, Mari turned to photography almost by chance. She has always been fascinated by collections and multiples, and the ability to use everyday objects to play with repetition and symmetry. This interest led to the practice of collecting multiples while at university—hoarding anything and everything she could get her hands on in abundant quantities—never quite knowing how or when these often mundane items would be used. During her time as a student, Mari worked part time as an interpreter for Japanese couples who were visiting Australia to be married. These couples would often have their wedding photographs taken on Gold Coast beaches. After getting her hands on dozens of pairs of white shoes from the company where she worked, she decided to take the shoes ‘back to the beach’ in a more metaphorical way. Mari collected the shoes with sculpture foremost in her mind, but the ideas associated with the Japanese weddings led to a series of photographs which included the image she is now most closely associated with— Blue Cliff (2003)—and further ongoing series’ of photographs using the white shoes.

as popular art for the masses in the Seventeenth to Nineteenth centuries. “[The work] stems from my previous series Revelations 2:0, which also explored the concepts of the positive and negative space, and the idea of the Rorschach test or ‘inkblot test’, where the left and the right mirror each other, and it’s basically up to the viewers what they see and what they don’t see,” explains Mari. Mari uses a painstaking and time-consuming process to make the black and white photograms. The clear plastic shoes are used in this series as a device to create a simultaneously beautiful and thoughtprovoking image, which permits, on each occasion, an individual and personal response from the viewer. Mari’s work has been compared on occasions to the work of famous Australian photographer Olive Cotton, for its use of formality and femininity, and the skilled use of light and shadow in domestic settings. Her more recent work exhibited in Inanimate at Lorraine Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery on the Gold Coast included a circular shoe sculpture entitled Hanawa (or ‘flower wreath’ in Japanese), perhaps symbolic of the fact that this young artist is now beginning to thoughtfully embrace the full circle of her practice.

Mari’s work over the past few years demonstrates the evolution of a mature artist. Her work has moved slowly through several themes all the while referencing those now famous shoes, and simultaneously, her Japanese heritage. Mari’s photographs have used ideas about family and domesticity, often combined with strong colour, to convey messages about place and dislocation. The shoes have become the actors in her photographs, seemingly alien but adapting to their various roles with ease. Since graduating, Mari has been involved with numerous solo and group exhibitions, and has received a number of significant prizes and awards. In 2010, probably her most successful year to date, Mari was involved in two major group exhibitions. The first of these exhibitions, The State We’re In—Contemporary Queensland Photography, saw her photographs exhibited at the University of Queensland Art Museum, alongside major and emerging Queensland photographers. In April and May 2010, Mari’s work was included in the Flying Colours exhibition at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery, where the QCA celebrated ten years of Gold Coast alumni, including other well-known Gold Coast artists such as Michael Zavros and Abbey McCulloch. For both of these shows, Mari’s newest works featured a series of photograms on silver gelatin paper. The narratives in these exhibitions explored the artist’s interest in sculptural installation once more— revisiting the idea of using multiples and symmetry—but in an altogether different way. The series of works, entitled Shadowplay, does as its name suggests and uses light and shadow to produce a series of images so surprising that you have to look closely to see that those shoes are in evidence once again. The technique used by Mari for the photograms draws on her Japanese heritage and the methods used in Japanese woodblock printing known as Ukiyo-e (which roughly translates to pictures of the floating world of the common man). This type of two dimensional printing flourished in Japan Above: ‘Lustre’ (2010) 65

JOSH KERR

PASTSTUDENTS

Inset: Josh Kerr 66

PASTSTUDENTS

cross-cultural experience Article Dominique Falla Photography and images Josh Kerr

For Griffith graduate Josh Kerr, travel has played an important part in his growth and development as a product designer. “I have always enjoyed traveling, so at any chance I get, I book tickets and start exploring. Since my first trip, I have always dreamed of moving overseas to set up my design career.” In May 2010, that dream became a reality when Josh moved to Hong Kong to take up his first job as a design graduate, working for Czech glass company LASVIT in the product design department. However, this wasn’t the first time Josh has lived and worked in Hong Kong. “I was extremely lucky through my university life to have the chance to go on three separate exchange programs overseas, once to Korea and twice to Hong Kong. These times were great experiences and have shaped me into the designer I am today.” Josh graduated at the end of 2009 with a Bachelor of Visual Media, majoring in 3D design, where he was awarded the ‘Visual Media Medal’ for the graduate with the highest academic achievement. “I had a great experience at Griffith and was really happy with the final outcomes I produced,” Josh says. “My time at Griffith taught me to keep pushing my designs to the next level, which I have found extremely useful for my new job as we are always trying to create something new and exciting.” The international programs at Griffith University encourage students to broaden their horizons and engage in cross-cultural exchanges, an opportunity Josh was more than happy to capitalise on. “Having recently spent the winter of 2008 on a short cultural exchange program in Hong Kong, I knew that one month was not enough and did everything I could to make sure I could spend a whole semester in Hong Kong.” Upon returning to Australia, Josh began looking at ways to secure a place in the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. “Griffith has a lot of exchange programs and ties with other universities so the application process was easy. It was the folio submission and waiting to find out that was more of a challenge as there are only a few places given to international students,” Josh explains. Luckily, the university in Hong Kong liked his folio and offered him a place for the first semester of 2009 in the product design department. He was also fortunate enough to win an ‘Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Award’, which enabled him to travel to Hong Kong and complete the semester. Towards the end of his degree, Josh discovered he really enjoyed working specifically with lighting and knew this was the field he wanted to pursue. Showing remarkable tenacity and focus in one so young, Josh set out to apply for all the lighting jobs he could find in Hong Kong. He eventually stumbled across a position advertised online at LASVIT, a Czech glass company based in Prague, with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, North America and China.

“After sending in my application the company contacted me and sent me a test project to demonstrate my design skills.” LASVIT obviously liked what they saw, because before he knew it Josh was flying to Hong Kong for a job interview. “The interview went for around one and a half hours and gave me an insight into the company and I knew this was a great chance if I could secure it.” After a nervous wait, 24 hours later Josh had the job. “I flew back to the Gold Coast to pack up my life and was back in Hong Kong within a week to set up over here.” Josh was employed as a creative 3D designer, where his primary role involves designing and creating 3D models of concepts for light sculptures. “Since working at the company, I have already learnt a lot about glass and what is possible.” Josh takes a highly creative approach when it comes to design, and this is part of what makes his body of work so engaging. He really enjoys using unusual objects to create new designs, whether this is using the shape of an avocado to create a giant chair, or making a light entirely from discarded milk bottles. He has even made a lampshade called ‘ZIPPY’, which is constructed from over 2500 cable ties! The lampshade was built on the cover of a pedestal fan—from a distance it appears as if it is made from feathers and it is not until the viewer gets closer that they see it is actually thousands of cable ties. “I’m looking at expanding this concept into other potential lights.” Life is extremely busy in Hong Kong and this has taken Josh some time to get used to, especially when you compare it to the relaxed, laidback lifestyle of the relatively sedate Gold Coast. A typical day for Josh starts with catching the ferry to work, ‘crossing one of the best harbours in the world’, but if he is in a hurry, there is always the option of the subway—unfortunately, several million other people often have the same idea! The designers at LASVIT are generally given two days from start to finish on a typical project, so work for Josh starts as soon as he arrives in the morning. After receiving a design brief from the client, he researches into possible styles, sketches potential designs and then starts the 3D work. Once a design enters the final stages, samples to show the client are fabricated by their Czech Republic office. Josh recently traveled to Macau for a trade show and saw first-hand some of the lights he has made. “This company has a lot of room to move, so I am hoping to work my way up to one of the lead designers in the future.” He has this advice to anyone who is still studying: “Try and go on exchange overseas if possible. It is great to get an outside influence and it will help a lot with your designs. There is so much out there, and you will come back with a lot more ideas and inspirations about where to take your designs.” Josh’s experience shows first-hand the benefit a cross-cultural experience can have on your work.

“My time at Griffith taught me to keep pushing my designs to the next level, which I have found extremely useful as we are always trying to create something new and exciting.” 67

PASTSTUDENTS

Samantha McClurg

Above: Graphics courtesy of Trailer Park Interactive. 68

PASTSTUDENTS

american dream Article Dominique Falla and Samantha McClurg

“You could be fooled into thinking that there is more emphasis on play than on work, but you would be quickly proven wrong.” Think of the perfect design office. Does it have a laid-back atmosphere with a work hard/play hard attitude? Is it a place with murals on the walls and half a caravan trailer hanging from the roof? A place where dogs can sit at your feet while your co-workers roll around the office on mini scooters perhaps? If you answered ‘yes’ then you would have been thinking of the office overlooking Hollywood Boulevard where Queensland College of Art (QCA) digital design student Samantha McClurg spent her American summer interning. A dream job? Samantha certainly thinks so! The opportunity to undertake an overseas internship arose because of the Ithaca College Los Angeles Internship Program. “One of Trailer Park Interactive’s employees was a former Ithaca College graduate and he contacted the ICLA staff about the opportunity to intern there, and they sent me an email suggesting, that with my skills and background, this may be a good place to intern.” Samantha explains. It is hardly surprising that Samantha jumped at the opportunity. “As soon as I walked into Trailer Park Interactive, I knew it was the right place for me.” Samantha enthuses. With friendly employees always smiling and willing to explain about the place, it was the perfect way to introduce Samantha to the working world of Los Angeles. At first glance, there may appear to be a similar work ethic in California to that of the Gold Coast because of the laid-back attitude. “You could be fooled into thinking that there is more emphasis on play than on work, but you would be quickly proven wrong,” says Samantha. Trailer Park Interactive has a faster turnover of projects than Samantha had ever seen. “I quickly learned how to work fast, and to a professional standard, and because this department had never had a serious intern before, it was either sink or swim from the word ‘Go’.”

Once the team at Trailer Park Interactive saw Samantha’s proficiency at these smaller projects, they began to trust her with larger projects. “I was asked to resize images and design backgrounds for Twitter and YouTube for upcoming films, as well as becoming the lead and sole designer on a Facebook application game for a film, where I designed the games’ icons.” In addition to this responsibility, Samantha was trusted with the daunting task of being head designer on a presentation for one of the leading children’s television companies in the States, as two of their shows were releasing a new range of clothing and accessories for young people. This presentation was then seen by some of the top department stores in North America. It is not surprising that Samantha found her two months at Trailer Park Interactive very enjoyable and felt they went by ‘way too fast’. “It was the best working summer I have ever had and I can’t wait to go back!” For a young Gold Coast girl who had never been overseas or lived away from home before, this experience taught Samantha a great deal about herself, and the industry that she plans to pursue with her career. “The friends I made there will stay with me for a long time to come and I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity to see the world from a different angle.” Samantha is not entirely sure what she wants to be or do when she graduates, but one thing her internship confirmed for her is that it will be in a creative field of some description—be that general design, film, visual effects or animation. “I want to be doing something that I love, that I can continuously learn more about and that I have fun doing.”

Samantha was lucky enough to complete several design projects for high-profile clients, both as part of a team and on her own. The majority of the projects were website advertising statics for upcoming films and television series.

Studying with the QCA has enabled Samantha to understand a little bit more about the design industry and its requirements. She also undertook work experience with Liveworm Gold Coast, an on-campus creative incubator, before going to America. “I think that without the experience I have gained within the QCA, I would not have been prepared for my internship in the States or any kind of workplace environment.”

“I learnt how to build them as aesthetic ads from the assets that the head designers provided,” Samantha explains.

When asked to sum up her experience at Trailer Park Interactive, Samantha had this to say: “Best. Internship. Ever.”

Above: Samantha McClurg 69

fashion first village news

letters writer celebrations festivals stories •

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author words novels discovery audiences

WRITER’S culture gold coast epic genres war RETREAT social media

enthralling

JENNA MOIR

PASTSTUDENTS

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EdiblE colours

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A relaxing retreat worth writing about.

This season’s fashion is a feast for senses – rich chocolate, warm aubergine and soothing sage finished with a garnish of gold.

meeting four of the writers, learning about their backgrounds and discovering the motivation behind each of their works. USA based writer Jake Adelstein fascinated guests with the story behind his novel Tokyo Vice. After living and working eighty-hour weeks

as a crime reporter in Japan for twelve years, Jake penned Tokyo Vice which gives a unique, firsthand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up.

Jake Adelstein 8

James P Othmer

of an Undertaker in Training was his first-hand take on the Western culture’s relationship with

When planning the itinerary for a bevy of

the dead, dying and those left behind.

international writers flying in for the annual Brisbane Writers Festival, it made perfect sense

The

growing up in Somalia, how the Second World War affected Africa and its people, and his long walk to freedom.

“We are always looking for ways to showcase the Sanctuary Cove precinct to the international

based, former creative director of Young and Rubicam, James P. Othmer. James is the

market and were absolutely thrilled to have twelve international writers stay with us.

highly acclaimed author of ADLand: Searching For The Meaning of Life On A Branded Planet,

around the beautiful Gold Coast waterways. It was the perfect way to relax before embarking on their busy festival schedule.

Tom Jonkinen

Mohamed

taste of what this great state of Queensland has to offer was at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast.

treated to five-star hospitality at Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove and a four hour lunch cruise

1 Mini Cooper Mayfair from $40,846 – Bruce Lynton Mini Garage +61 7 5557 7990 2 Tanzanian Zircon Ring with Argyle Pink Diamonds $12,800 – Calleija +61 7 5528 3666 www.calleija.com.au 3 Vernice Shoes $810 – Prada +61 2 9223 1688 4 Elsa Peretti 18K Gold Bone Cuff $13,300 – Tiffany & Co. 1800 731 131 5 Umbrella with Wood Handle $415 – Gucci +61 2 9282 4299 6 Captive de Cartier 50mm in Pink Gold with Diamonds – Cartier +61 7 5592 3744 7 Happy Sport XL $9,250 – Chopard www.chopard.com 8 Ally Handbag in Fondente $2,195 – Salvatore Ferragamo +61 7 5592 1868 9 LibeDior Bag in Lambskin in Amarante $3,000 – Dior +61 7 3210 1055 10 Gucci by Gucci Eau de Parfum 50ml $124 – Available Nationally +61 2 9695 5678 11 UGG Classic Short Eggplant $248 – Aprés Coast +61 7 5527 6300 12 Pink Gold Long Earrings with Green Quartz, Amethyst and Pavé Diamonds $10,150 – Bulgari +61 7 3243 9316

Nadifa

told her as a small child, this is the epic tale of Nadifa’s father, Jama. It’s the story of his life

As well as the meet and greet, the writers were

Kingdom’s

Mamba Boy. Based on the stories her father

Cove (Developments) Pty Limited, Alison Quinn, decided the best place for the writers to get a

of the writers from the festival,” said Alison. 11

United

enthralled the audience as she spoke about the motivation behind her debut novel Black

With a keen interest and involvement in the Arts, Executive General Manager of Mulpha Sanctuary

“We were also delighted to have had the chance to present an afternoon of conversation with four 12

funeral home and crematorium as a trainee undertaker. His debut novel Curtains: Adventures

words Infront Communications

for event organisers to have them arrive a couple of days early for a little R&R.

Nadifa Mohamed

Canadian Tom Jonkinen explained how he quit a good government job to work at a family-run

The afternoon was chaired by the New York

which was published last year and explores the nature of branding, product placement and emerging technologies (including social media) to assist selling. Following the positive feedback from both authors and the guests who had the chance to get up close and personal with the writers Mulpha Sanctuary Cove (Developments) Pty Limited is looking forward to building on their

Guests to Conversations with the Writers,

partnership with the Brisbane Writers Festival and bringing more national and international

which was held in The Village Theatre, enjoyed

writers to the precinct.

“I think the fact that people are commenting and wanting more culture, will lead to positive change.” movers & shakers

words Rosanne Bayes photos AAP Images/Getty Images

With the sun and surf at the core of the typical way of life for most of us, how does a young, Aussie girl decide to make skiing her sport of choice and, indeed, her life? I grew up in Mt Beauty and Falls Creek! We lived in Falls Creek for the winters and my skiing family introduced me to the sport when I was a toddler.

When did you realise you were good at mogul skiing? I entered my first mogul competition when I was eight years old. It was the Victorian Interschool Snow Sport Championships where I competed for Falls Creek Primary School. I won this competition and was very excited!

Eight seems young to choose one sport. Did you ever try other sports or was it always moguls? I enjoyed lots of other sports. In primary school I did swimming, jazz ballet, callisthenics and tennis. I also tried alpine skiing and cross-country skiing but I always loved mogul skiing.

What is it about mogul skiing that you love? I love the challenge of freestyle mogul skiing and the feeling of flying down a 250m slope with moguls and two jumps!

Spectators watch this event and cringe at the impact it must have on the knees. What do you do specifically, to minimise the damage to these joints? I do a lot of strength and conditioning to reduce the risk of injury. My gym program incorporates plyometrics, running, strength and endurance sessions – and lots of stretching! Correct technique when skiing is also important in trying to minimise impact on the knees in the gym and on the snow.

So how is training structured given that Australia has such a short and unpredictable snow season? In the domestic season we train on snow in the mornings followed by strength and conditioning sessions in the gym. We also do acrobatics on the trampoline to practise the aerial component of mogul skiing. When we are training on the snow we do about four hours and about one and a half hours in the gym. In the off-season we train on a water ramp! This is a jump made from a timber frame with a base of plastic bristles that we ski off and land into a dam. We must safely execute our tricks hundreds of times before we are qualified to attempt them on the snow. In the northern hemisphere winter we travel to North America and Europe to train and compete.

How does a fifteen year old balance all of this rigorous training with schoolwork? My school, The Scots College in Albury, is very supportive. They send me my work when I am away training. I do it on my days off. I know that if I don’t get my work done then I can’t train so I just try to get it done so that when it comes time for training I can just focus on that. There has to be a balance so I can get the best out of both.

Do you feel like you are missing out on a ‘normal childhood’ because of your commitment to skiing? No. I love the freestyle skiing community and I think I am very fortunate to be a part of it. All my teammates get along really well and we have a lot of fun together when we are on the road. We’re all very supportive of one another.

You sound like a fairly regular fifteen year old! Many people are divided on whether you were too young to represent your country at an Olympic Games. What would you say to these people? Everyone is entitled to their own opinions I guess. I don’t think it was a problem for me at all. I have a very supportive family who would not allow me to do anything that might be detrimental to me. If people knew me and my sport they may feel differently too. Knowing the officials from the National Federation and the AOC, I feel sure they would not have selected me if they felt it wouldn’t have been a positive experience for me. They placed no unrealistic expectations on me and I feel they had my best interests and welfare at heart as an individual and as an athlete.

Julian Smith

With an Olympic Games already under her belt and her title of Australia’s Junior Freestyle Athlete of the Year, baby-faced mogul skier Britteny Cox is ready for more bumps, jumps and flips as she sets her sights on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

Top: Design layouts for ‘The Cove’ magazine; Bottom: Design layout for ‘Move Sports Australia’ magazine 70

PASTSTUDENTS

for the love of type

Article Carol Whittaker Photography Ella Johnston

At Sanctuary Cove Publishing, I meet with graphic designer Jenna Moir, a Queensland College of Art (QCA) graduate from Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus, and discover what inspired her to enter the world of publishing. Born on the Gold Coast, Jenna spent most of her early years in the South-East Asian countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Attending the Mont’Kiara International School in Malaysia, she discovered her passion for publishing and worked on the school year book for three years; being the editor during her final two years. “I loved being involved with the creation of [the school year book]. That was my favourite thing to do. I’d even go in on weekends and work on it.” Upon returning to the Gold Coast, Jenna decided to make a career out working in the publication industry—even though she wasn’t sure what degree she needed to achieve her goal. Jenna attended an Open Day at Griffith University where she met Richard Blundell (the former QCA Deputy Director), who told her about the new Bachelor of Digital Media course starting the following year. “So I applied and was very excited when I was accepted,” says Jenna. “It was an extremely interesting course. I really enjoyed the practical component because it allowed you to develop your skills by having your work critiqued—and also critiquing the work of others.” In 2008, she was in the first cohort to graduate with the new degree— allowing students to major in graphic design, 3D design, digital design, ePhotojournalism or fine art. For Jenna the evolution—from producing her school year books to working for a publishing company—has been particularly rewarding.

“I think his typography is amazing,” she explains. As for the cultural future of the Gold Coast, Jenna feels that a lot of people judge the area too harshly. “I like it here. It’s a unique place to live,” she explains. “I think there’s a want to be more cultural on the Gold Coast. People are commenting on it more and more. I’ve heard a lot of people—both locals and those who’ve migrated here—saying there isn’t enough culture. I think the fact that people are commenting and wanting more culture, will lead to positive change.” During our interview, my photographer and I are introduced to Clare E. Urwin, the owner of Sanctuary Cove Publishing. She gives us a friendly greeting and shows a genuine interest in our discussion, before mentioning that she now has three QCA graduates on staff. This leads me to ask Jenna when she got her position at the company. She surprises me with her answer. “I was offered the job the day before my graduation ceremony!” Jenna had undertaken work experience at Sanctuary Cove Publishing during her final months of study. The art director was a graduate of QCA and had been approached by Richard Blundell to secure a work experience placement for Jenna. “I don’t know if mentor is the right word, but Richard is definitely someone I feel has guided my career. He got me into the course. He helped me get this job. He was there at pivotal points of my design career. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.” And no doubt Richard is equally proud that there is not one, but two, generations of QCA graduates working at Sanctuary Cove Publishing.

“I respond well to deadlines so I really enjoy working in a publication driven environment,” Jenna explains. “A lot of people like doing bigger creative projects but I get great satisfaction from page layouts and seeing the magazine come together as one piece of art. “And I love the attention to detail that is required,” she continues. “I’m a total perfectionist when it comes to my job—be that good or bad.” Jenna also enjoys learning about the process of preparing artwork files for print and the sense of empowerment she gains from understanding the technical side of print media. “I’m a control freak. I like the fact that no one can change my work after it’s been printed.” Sanctuary Cove Publishing produces two bi-monthly magazines: The Cove, a premium lifestyle magazine; and Move Sports Australia a new publication dedicated to women’s sports. I ask Jenna what her creative process is and how the team at Sanctuary Cove Publishing collaborate on projects. “My design style is very clean and typographically based,” says Jenna. “I like a lot of space and I always start by laying out the headline and then build on the design from there.” She explains that the team brainstorm cover concepts, themes and colour palettes for each issue and admits she gets a sense of achievement when her layouts are positively received by her more experienced colleagues. Jenna admires traditional impressionist artists, especially Edward Degas, and draws creative inspiration from a number of sources including contemporary Sydney-based designer Vince Frost.

Above: Jenna Moir 71

JANINE NEL-MCINTOSH PASTSTUDENTS

Sub-title PASTSTUDENTS

making news

Article Heather Faulkner Photography Janine Nel-McIntosh

“I would say that one of the highlights of my degree was the people that I met,” says 2009 ePhotojournalism Honours graduate, Janine NelMcIntosh. The former international student (Toronto, Canada) credits the smaller class sizes in providing a more intimate and dynamic learning environment. “We were able to get to know each other much better than had it been a larger class—which helped us to learn from each other and maintain friendships,” she says. Janine credits the department’s dedication to providing professionallevel equipment for assignment work as being invaluable. “Having the opportunity to use professional industry-level equipment (like the underwater housing and 300mm lens) that I would not have otherwise had the opportunity to use was important in expanding my understanding of photography and preparing for life after university. “I think the importance that was placed on learning multimedia in our degree was vital for the future of the industry,” says Janine of the digital focus of the ePhotojournalism major. “Most other emerging photojournalists are not aware of or trained in multimedia. DSLR cameras now have built-in HD video and newspapers are moving more and more online, making multimedia skills vital in giving us an advantage over people that have been in the industry for a long time and haven’t felt the need to learn. In my current position, I work as a staff photojournalist for the Gold Coast Bulletin. Because I was taught early on in university how to shoot and edit news video for the web, I am now responsible for doing that when our full time videographer and editor is away.” Learning from professionals whether as lecturers or guest speakers was vital. “It meant that we were learning about the reality of the profession rather than from a removed perspective,” Janine says. “It was also vital in terms of making industry contacts as our lecturers were in regular contact with our potential employers or other professionals that we could learn from. It was also important to see current work that our teachers were shooting—that helped tremendously in our understanding of the photojournalistic approach. “ePhotojournalism has taught me to have a more critical eye, to notice things that I may have not otherwise noticed and to value the importance that photography has in catching people’s attention and making the world aware. It has also taught me the importance of honesty in photography as it is much harder to get a good natural shot that invokes thought and emotion than it is to set one up.” “I have been very lucky to gain a full time position as a photojournalist with the Gold Coast Bulletin, allowing me to continue to build my skills and have the opportunity to photograph everything from sport and fashion to news and food while still trying to find time to build a freelance business and experiment with photography on a more creative level outside of work.”

“ePhotojournalism has taught me to have a more critical eye, to notice things that I may have not otherwise noticed.”

Above right: Janine Nel-McIntosh 73

PASTSTUDENTS

ASHLEIGH WHITE

“I knew that if I wanted it enough I could get another job in the field I wanted, all I had to do was believe in myself and be persistent.” 74

Top: Arugam Bay photography by Ashleigh White; Mirissa Beach (South Coast, Sri Lanka) photography by Kesara Ratnavibhushana; Isurumuniya Rock Temple—4th Century AD (North-Central, Sri Lanka) photography by Kesara Ratnavibhushana

PASTSTUDENTS

secret women’s business Article Dominique Falla

Ashleigh White graduated from Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art on the Gold Coast with a Bachelor of Design Studies in 2007, and in just three short years, she is now designing for Victoria’s Secret. Ashleigh began her career by contacting garment manufacturers on the Gold Coast and asking for any type of work experience they could offer. Displaying persistence—and the right attitude—she obtained a position with 2Chillies in Helensvale. “After graduating, it was difficult to get that head start, to become known in the workforce, and to start using all the skills you learnt at university as a professional,” Ashleigh says. However if she could give any advice to new graduates, it is to ‘never give up’. “Be persistent and proactive, and you will eventually get the job you desire.” After working with 2Chillies as a junior designer for a year, an experience Ashleigh says improved her skills dramatically, she decided to leave Australia and travel in search of creative stimulus. Ashleigh spent five months traveling through Europe, and it’s no surprise that she found inspiration everywhere, from graffiti art in Germany to the picturesque vistas of the Austrian Alps. “After leaving Australia, I often thought it would be difficult to get back into it [design], to establish a name and to find another job, as it is a very competitive industry, especially fashion-orientated design.” However, Ashleigh applied the proactive attitude that had worked for her before. “I knew that if I wanted it enough I could get another job in the field I wanted, all I had to do was believe in myself and be persistent.” Sure enough, through the contacts she had made while working in Australia, she was fortunate enough to find employment as a graphic textile designer at Linea Aqua, a Sri Lankan fashion house. Ashleigh was hired to help establish a design centre on site and bring her knowledge of graphic design and the swimwear industry together. Ultimately the design centre will produce a collection twice a year— managing all of the design and manufacturing processes in one place, thereby creating a design ‘powerhouse’. Ashleigh’s role at Linea Aqua is to design and produce textiles, as well as laying the foundations

for the wave of graduate designers who will come and work at the design centre. Ashleigh currently works with a team of five designers, including head designer, Leigh Millar, who is also from the Gold Coast. The design team produces designs and samples for specific customers including Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Triumph, Lands End and Speedo. She also works with a textile printing company to monitor the production of the developed prints and to collaborate on future projects in the intimates industry. As the design centre is so fresh and new, Leigh and Ashleigh are busy establishing systems and foundations in order to manage the work and to teach new young designers how to plan, monitor trends and design for the swimwear industry. Ashleigh’s creative process starts with analysing the latest catwalk trends. “We utilise many avenues from global trend websites such as WGSN and Stylesight to magazines and photos taken from various overseas research trips,” says Ashleigh. This research enables the design team to keep in touch with what is happening on the global market and this is a vital step in the creative process for fashion designers. The research process then moves into the creative brainstorming phase, where ideas are collated ‘based on your research and the brief given by the customer’. The final stage is the development of the textile print on computer and ultimately the collaboration with a textile printing company to produce the finished fabric for the customer. “The foundations and processes I learnt while at 2Chillies and Griffith University are exactly what we are trying to establish here at Linea Aqua,” Ashleigh explains. “They are important in every aspect of the design process in order to produce creative outcomes that are of a high quality and that meet the requests of the customer. It’s a repetitive, sometimes frustrating cycle, but without following the simple steps in the creative/design process, you would never sell your ‘signature bikini’.”

Above: Block Print Floral and Animal Print design by Ashleigh White 75

PASTSTUDENTS

JAY WOODS

“I love the process of researching each shoe, talking to the shoe designer and finding the story so that when I design, my design does the shoe justice.”

PASTSTUDENTS

building a kustom-made career

Article Dominique Falla Photography Supplied by Jay Woods/Kustom

Queensland College of Art (QCA) graduate Jay Woods is already finding his feet as a designer for Kustom Footwear after only two and a half years in the fast-paced world of surf and skate wear. Jay secured his first job at Billabong while still a student, and juggled his studies with designing for the surf giant before graduating with a Bachelor in Visual Media and going fulltime at Billabong late 2008. For two years, Jay was part of a large design team and worked his way up through the ranks, designing products and learning about product cycles and merchandising before the opportunity arose to work for Kustom Footwear as their sole graphic designer. “I jumped at the chance because Kustom is so small, maybe 12 people in total, and I was ready to do more graphic design and utilise my business and marketing skills,” Jay explains. Prior to studying graphic design at the QCA, Jay completed one and a half years of a business management degree at Griffith University, and he also took marketing electives as part of his design degree. “It really helped me at uni—it was a blessing in disguise. “I grew up a lot during that first year and I understand how it relates to what I’m doing now. I work closely with the marketing manager at Kustom and it really helps me to understand what he’s talking about.” Kustom Footwear is aimed at surfers and general street wear, so they are building a customer profile of 16–30 year old street-savvy shoe wearers. Where Billabong has a mass-market audience, Kustom is definitely a niche brand, and Jay is excited by the challenge to ‘grow the brand while maintaining the cool factor.’ As Kustoms’ only designer, Jay takes a hands-on approach with all elements of the brand’s visual material, designing everything from web banners and in-store promotional material to catalogues and photo shoots. He is also responsible for maintaining the company’s two websites: kustomfootwear.com.au and kustomairstrike.com. As with all street brands, sponsoring events is becoming de rigueur and Kustom is no exception. The Kustom Air Strike is a yearlong competition to find and reward the most innovative aerial surfing manoeuvre with $50,000 going to the winner. Jay regularly receives videos sent in by surfing hopefuls and he uploads and maintains the blog. These days, maintaining a vibrant web presence is essential for any brand and clearly a new addition to every designer’s role. A typical day for Jay can involve a variety of tasks and three times a year, as catalogue season approaches, a typical day can run to 23 hours. “I worked from 6am in the morning until 5am the following morning the other day because when the catalogue deadline approaches, the responsibility falls on me.

W W W . K U S T O M F O O T W E A R . C O M

“I love going to work,” Jays enthuses. “Working for a small company like Kustom means lots of creative freedom. I love the process of researching each shoe, talking to the shoe designer and finding the story so that when I design, my design does the shoe justice. My creative process involves a lot of research.” As Kustom grows, Jay hopes to become an art director, with a small team of designers under him. “As long as I’m constantly improving and I feel like I’m progressing and can get involved with all different aspects of the business I will stay motivated and inspired.” And Jay’s advice for any budding designers out there? “Take a year to try something else first before you go to uni and study what you’re passionate about. When you leave high school, you’re so young and the first year of your degree can often get wasted because you’re so busy finding your feet.” Well it certainly appears that Jay has found his! Top: Jay Woods photograph by Ella Johnston; Above middle: Kustom logo designed by Sam Smith

QCA GRADUATE SHOWCASE In 2010 students have excelled in a range of creative streams.

3D DESIGN

AMELIE BELLENGER JOANN HALINEN MA YUE XIAO

Graduates are highly valued in the design, production and manufacturing sectors, especially for products, furniture, lighting fixtures, packaging, exhibitions and trade shows, film and television modeling and set design, signage and environmental graphics.

AMELIE BELLENGER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I am a three dimensional designer with a strong interest in products and furniture design.

amelie.bellenger@gmail.com www.ameliebellenger.com 0450 311 083

I draw my inspiration from organic shapes and strive to work towards producing eco-friendly designs. I always had attention to detail and a commitment to deliver the best of my abilities. I guess my strength lies in my determination and will to push the boundaries in everything I do. Awards & Achievements Golden Key International Honours Society Member

JOANN HALINEN

GRADUATESHOWCASE

j_halinen@hotmail.com www.joannhalinen.com 0413 743 671 Just as society evolves, so does the field of design. Not only must we consider trends but more importantly fabrication and material choices. Studying 3D design has been a great stepping stone in allowing me to understand design aesthetics and sustainability, which in turn has further fuelled my passion for furniture, street furniture, lighting and jewellery. Design excites me and even the smallest of things inspire me. I strive to create pieces with a specific purpose and a lasting impression. Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2009

MA YUE XIAO

GRADUATESHOWCASE

The fan mobile has a 20 inch touchable screen. By using OLED technology it is much thinner and softer. The difference compared with other phones is that it makes good use of space, offering people comfortable visual space to watch films, read the news and so on. The big screen also largely reduces the possibility of pressing numbers or letters by mistake. The fan mobile also has a voice recognition system which converts spoken words into text. For more information, please watch: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=EvNYkLc0zi4

myx56002@yahoo.com.cn www.flyingpig56002.com 0430 098 810

TITLE DIGITAL DESIGN

LEE EVANS GEO MONIQUE GRISANTI ANDREW LOGAN SAMANTHA McCLURG BREE PLAYEL LAUREN REDMAN MATTHEW SIMMS

Graduates have a unique combination of creative design and software specialisations which enables them to take advantage of opportunities in post-production animation and video production, web and games production, as well as printing for industry.

LEE EVANS

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I believe that a keen sense of visual aesthetic, style and impact characterises what I strive for in my „ work. My key areas of interest—that of the visual, aural, movement and how the three work together is a personal study that is constantly evolving and maturing… Check out my website at levans.com.au for examples of my other work in video, animation, 3D and traditional art.

lee@levans.com www.levans.com 0412 889 024

Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence for 2006 & 2008 Member of the International Golden Key Honour Society

GEO

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I love being a creative designer and every night I dream of beautiful colours mixed with lots of dots, pixels and lines. I have been applying my creative flair through working in the web industry. With the web changing so fast, it creates an enjoyable challenge that I relish. I am addicted to all that it offers! letgeocreate@gmail.com www.LetGeoCreate.com 0433 957 189

I am sincerely appreciative of all support from family and friends, especially all QCA staff, Global Star Services and Queensland Korean Business Council. Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2009 Golden Key International Honours Society Member

MONIQUE GRISANTI

GRADUATESHOWCASE

During my studies through QCA not only have I learned an immense variety of skills for the industry I pursue, but also I’ve learned a lot about myself. My capabilities, strengths and weaknesses all contribute to my forte in film and marketing. Yet these areas of expertise do not encompass my entire skill set—with knowledge in 3D Animation, Web Design and Development, and Graphic Design, I could be considered a ‘Jack-of-all Trades’. My studies have surely inspired me to reach my full potential both before and after graduation!

contact@moniquegrisanti.com www.moniquegrisanti.com 0417 644 599

Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence for 2009 QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 Griffith Victoria Fire Children Dreamers Trip, Certificate of Appreciation 2009 Liveworm Design Studio, I’m determined to make this work Award, Nippers Project 2009

ANDREW LOGAN

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Hi, my nameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Andrew. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a digital designer with a keen interest in computer game and movie design. I enjoy storyboarding and creating concept art most in these areas. With my additional study in graphic design, I understand the principles of good design and aesthetics, which I feel are highly important in industry. andrew_logan2004@hotmail.com www.andrewlogan.com.au 0404 773 584

I also believe that my work ethic, attention to detail and high ethical standards will make me a great asset to any business. Awards & Achievements QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 & 2010 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2008 & 2009

SAMANTHA McCLURG

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I have always been a creative person, so to have the opportunity to make a career out of creative design is the best possible option for me.

samanthaanndesigns@gmail.com www.samanthaanndesigns.com 0424 594 134

Beginning as a fine artist, I have always searched for new ways to express myself and learn new techniques. My interest lies in anything visual and I have recently directed my attention to animation and visual effects. My work encompasses a variety of digital, traditional and alternative mediums and design practices. Awards & Achievements QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2008 & 2009 Member of the International Golden Key Honour Society Student exchange with Park School of Communications, Ithaca College, New York, 2010 Internship with Trailer Park Interactive, Los Angeles, CA, 2010

BREE PLAYEL

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Jack and the Beanstalk inspired this organic sculpture, designed as a water feature for an urban city park. Since June 2010 I have been working at e-CBD as a web developer. They are a digital agency specialising in web design and social media. The most important thing I have learned working there is the positive impact your environment can have on you. info@breeplayel.com www.breeplayel.com 0432 341 608

Awards & Achievements QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2007 & 2008 Member of the International Golden Key Honour Society

LAUREN REDMAN

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Hi, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Lauren and I have an obsession... I love cameras! More so, I love what cameras create.

info@laurenredman.com.au www.laurenredman.com.au 0409 765 784

Cameras are the eyes that capture my vision, they observe and I remember through the creation of video and stills. It is this huge passion for video that makes me the digital designer I am today. With a vast array of program knowledge such as editing suites and special effects programs through to music and design, I really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see this obsession going away! Awards & Achievements QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 & 2010 Member of the International Golden Key Honour Society Griffith Victoria Fire Children Dreamers Trip, Certificate of Appreciation 2009

MATTHEW SIMMS

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I love what I do. I live to create and wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it any other way. Motion Graphics is my favourite corner where my design, visual effects, compositing and technical skills all come together to hang out using a combination of Cinema 4d, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects to create stylised animations and graphics. I also like illustration and contemporary art.

digitalove1@gmail.com www.digitalovedesign.com 0418 679 517

CHRISSY BROWN SAMANTHA CAMARRI GILLIAN LUMLEY ANNA MCDOUGALL MIREILLE MERLET ASHLEY SCHUMANN REBECCA TAYLOR

Graduates with a keen appreciation of the politics and philosophies underpinning the photographic discipline and a demonstrated eagerness to work innovatively in their chosen photographic specialisation—whether press or new media—will be capable of securing a rewarding career at a professional level anywhere in the world.

ePHOTOJOURNALISM

JESSICA ALLARDYCE

GRADUATESHOWCASE

jessica@allarphoto.com www.allarphoto.com 0450 607 603

As a budding photographer, I have an inquisitive interest in the everyday, demonstrating an increasing passion for discovering life through a lens. I take pleasure in delving into the lives of others, documenting individuals and communities alike by becoming a part of their lives and essentially their way of life which I find so intriguing. My most recent project investigated a community of passionate individuals preserving our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history by creating a life-like experience of how we used to live. Awards & Achievements Managing Editor of The Argus Work selected for the Digital Media Highlights Exhibition

CHRISSY BROWN

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Photography means constant change and continual learning, which I thrive on. Immersing yourself in foreign environments to get that one shot, is like learning a new sport. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun, exciting, fast-paced and challenging. To know that you have chosen your ultimate career is really rewarding. No matter how tough the industry is Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m confident that I will keep at it.

info@chrissybrown.com.au www.chrissybrown.com.au 0432 669 758

Awards & Achievements Published in Quicksilver Pro & Roxy Pro 2010 to Europe, America and Australia Published in The Argus Gold Coast Art Project Award 2009 & 2010

SAMANTHA CAMARRI

GRADUATESHOWCASE

“They’re all at the same event, but nobody else saw the same thing”—James Colton, Sports Illustrated. Capturing the effects of a simple action and how the body appears when it’s at its extreme is my focus. Recognition as an innovative photographer and covering every major sporting event worldwide are my ambitions. Specialisations in Text Journalism and Editorship & Publication have shown me the great diversity of sports journalism. samantha.camarri@griffithuni.edu.au www.samanthacamarri.com 0411 357 654

Awards & Achievements Published in The Brides Diary 2010 Marketing Editor and Contributor for The Argus 2010 Accredited photographer for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas 2010

GILLIAN LUMLEY

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I was created to create. Photography is my medium. Life is my subject.

gillian@gillianfluer.com www.gillianfleur.com 0403 566 568

I am drawn to photographyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to tell a story and to permanently imprint a moment in our minds. But most of all I adore the simple fact that it allows humanity to share our joy, our pain, our diversities, our quirks and intricacies. Our experience. For me it is about people, removing barriers in a non-intrusive way and little by little, frame by frame, helping us to understand and enjoy one another. Awards & Achievements Winner of Gold Coast Arts Centre Public Arts Project 2008 Production/multimedia editor of The Argus 2010 Published on The Argus 2009 & 2010

ANNA MCDOUGALL

GRADUATESHOWCASE

anna_mcd1@hotmail.com www.annamcdougall.com 0402 018 129

Photography inhabits a borderland of success. As a photojournalist, to document and show reality lies within the fraction of a second of when the shutter is released. I’m inspired by the tradition of searching for ‘The Decisive Moment’ as well as giving the viewer a unique visual experience by abstracting reality. I have learned that photojournalism is more than what’s on the front page; it is the quiet, the uncontrolled and the unknown. Awards & Achievements The Argus Team Member 2010

MIREILLE MERLET

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Brittany, France is where Mireille’s photographic journey began as a leggy 12 year old, besotted with the camera given to her by her Parrain (Godfather). It was her Communion gift… divine providence, n’est-ce-pas?

mimishawoz@gmail.com www.mireillemerlet.com 0432 739 263

In 1998, Mireille immigrated to Australia and is now graduating from QCA with a Bachelor of Visual Media, majoring in Photojournalism. Bringing her passionate European nature across the hemispheres, Mireille combines her strong connections with folk from all walks of life with her compassionate nature to manifest photojournalistic creations that platform her unique outlook on real life. Photojournalism and social documentary have become the natural outlets for her drive to reveal stories from the hearts of those silenced by distance & lost in time. Mireille says: ‘Your heart still speaks and we still hear you.‘ Awards & Achievements QCA Student Leadership Mentor Managing Editor of The Argus Currently being mentored by a Documentary filmmaker Faramarz K-Rahber from Faraway Productions

ASHLEY SCHUMANN

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Dreaming is the only thing that ties all mankind togetherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;my photographs are tangible dreams that tell stories about mankind and I would never dream of telling you a story that makes you yawn. arizonavagabond@live.com www.arizonavagabond.com 0423 674 406

100

REBECCA TAYLOR

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I am beginning to understand that photography has powerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the power to tell a story, to impact upon us in a way that nothing else can. I am fascinated by people in all their diversity and would like to capture that diversity through the lens. Currently I am most interested in identity and gender studies, though my work explores a variety of issues.

bectaylor06@gmail.com www.bectaylor.com 0432 381 706

I have completed a Bachelor of Digital Media, majoring in ePhotojournalism and specialising in Editorship and Text Journalism. Awards & Achievements Work selected for the Digital Media Highlights Exhibition Copy Editor and contributor for The Argus

101

FINE ART

Graduates are entering a sector that is expanding exponentially with career opportunities in professional practice, arts management, public art, curatorship and art education. Fine Art graduates from the Queensland College of Art have an enviable record of career success as professional artists. Many have works in private and public collections and have won scholarships and national and international awards. Fine Art graduates also hold significant posts in the arts, education and administration.

LISA DI BARTOLO DAVID BOWER LUCY CLARK JUDE ALITJA FERRIER KYLIE GARTSIDE RAYNOR KIRKBRIDE JENNA MACINTOSH EMMA STAMP CATHARINA VAN DER WALT

LISA DI BARTOLO

GRADUATESHOWCASE

The relationship of fabric and the body are heavily intertwined with the feminine form.

ldibartolo@yahoo.com www.companyofartists@myspace.com

Photography and Installation enable me to experiment and explore a deeper way of representing body without presence of body. These free form images were captured while experimenting with camera, fabric and a light box. Capturing fabrics imbued with light transforms these fabrics to appear more natural, closer to feminine form, revealing folds as if they are part of body while still maintaining the characteristics of fabric. Awards and Achievements Member of Golden Key International Honours Society 2008 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2006 & 2007

103

DAVID BOWER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Deny my speech, I’m left without jest Deny my hearing, I’m left without a vision Deny my sight, I’m left without a voice. 5 things that inspire me:

david.bower2676342@gmail.com www.fatmetalkid.wordpress.com 0414 667 873

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8-bit video games The fine line between the grotesque and the beautiful Alex Pardee Death metal Suffering from depression, anxiety, several eating disorders and substance abuse from the age of 12

LUCY CLARK

GRADUATESHOWCASE

‘Sometimes good provenance is so hard to find, you just have to create it yourself‘ - Phil Thomas, 2010

lucy.clark2@griffithuni.com.au www.lucyclark.com.au 0433 331 810

Engrossed by an object’s provenance and an obsession with any era other than this one, I spend my weekends scavenging through garage sales finding my inspiration from anything and everything. My personal quest of finding treasure in other people’s trash has resulted in both an enjoyable and thought-provoking body of work, challenging perceptions of a found object’s provenance and its role in reality. While clichés play an important role in my work, what lies at my heart is the idea and possibility that an object can provoke inspiration from nowhere in particular. Like everyone in this catalogue, these past three years have been me finding my feet as an artist, producing paintings, prints, artist books and sculptures. I find working with photography as a Fine Artist allows me to embellish my ideas and re-create anything I can imagine with the added bonus of freedom and time. I’m not ready to throw away my paint brushes but for now, it’s time to capture the digital palette.

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JUDE ALITJA FERRIER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

artist.jude@gmail.com 0431 526 487

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I am a contemporary Indigenous artist belonging to the Yaegl Language Group of Northern NSW. A lot of my work is concerned with Australia’s ‘secret history‘ and how this history impacts on Indigenous people today. I believe the only way to secure our future is to educate Aboriginal children, as well as white children, in our language, our sacred culture and our law. I am currently working on an Indigenous children’s book with this purpose in mind. Imbuing Aboriginal children with a sense of pride and belonging underpins a lot of the work I produce. Presently I am painting a series of my Creation Story set on Ulugundahi Island on the Clarence River in Northern NSW.

KYLIE GARTSIDE

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Kylie Gartside is a contemporary jeweller whose work highlights the origins of the materials she works with. Elements of her work include reclaimed, recycled or salvaged components and the execution of her pieces juxtaposes traditional methods with new technologies. Her work invites the viewer to query the traditional value structure, to ask whether the true appreciation of a piece goes beyond that prescribed by the market economy, and seeks to define value on a personal level. She focuses on the stories inherited, imbued, and enhanced by both the maker and the wearer. She asks the wearer to engage with and invest their own story and meaning into her pieces.

kylie@kyliegartside.com www.kyliegartside.com 0418 770 508

Kylie explores the concept of choice for the wearer and delivers pieces that are original with sustainable studio practice as a priority.

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RAYNOR KIRKBRIDE

GRADUATESHOWCASE

raynor.kirkbride@griffithuni.edu.au raynork@winshop.com.au 0407 594 921

Personal life experiences have been the main concept for my artwork throughout my degree. A keen painter for two decades, I never thought before undertaking university that viewers might actually connect and identify through art with my ordinary circumstances. Based on the premise that personal experiences are never completely unique, but shared, my aim is to elicit response through emotive texts, wit, appropriation and subversion. Through such topics as domesticity and motherhood, self identity, stereotype, childhood, divorce and domestic violence, I hope to promote contemplation, questioning attitudes and understanding. Awards & Achievements Participated in over 20 group exhibitions Work held in private collections

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JENNA MACINTOSH

GRADUATESHOWCASE

We confabulate past relationships and environments into our present identity. As conventional and unattainable ideals inform us of what we lack, we then desire and seek to fulfill. The work focuses on the notion that there is no ideal relationship, family unit or environment. The work investigates the divide between what we desire and how we are to satisfy this when gorging on false identities and false perceptions. Such delusional desires and invented inhabitants cannot bear the weight of the ideal.

jen.macintosh@gmail.com www.jennamacintosh.com.au 0433 999 207

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EMMA STAMP

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Emma Stamp is a Fine Art student at QCA. Her autobiographical art is manifested in a rich variety of media. Emma‘s work candidly questions the social constructs of society through an examination of herself. Although she deals with issues of her own life, she touches largely on issues that are common to all.

emmastamp@live.com 0434 495 833

Emma‘s exhibited work is a sculptural piece representing her inscribed and un-inscribed self-portrait. The Fibreglass sculptures of Stamp’s body are subjected by the images painted on the outside. Her internal being is externalised, fabricating the notion that the mind and body are unequivocally dual to one another. The uninscribed sculpture depicts her fantasised perception of her future. It utilises objects to portray the ambiguous nature of the imagined. Emma would like to thank Paul Slieght from ‘Fibreglass International’ at Labrador for supplying her with the materials to create her work.

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I love working in drawing, painting, sculpture and installation art. By implementing these practices I investigate controversial ideas and issues concerning inequality and social injustice. I work in a reflective manner to promote thoughtprovoking artworks.

CATHARINA VAN DER WALT

GRADUATESHOWCASE

catharina.vanderwalt@gmail.com www.catharinavanderwalt.com 0419 243 863

Art is powerful and can create awareness to initiate social change and reconciliation by addressing inequities that are often preventable in a modern multicultural society. I enjoy working with people and alongside fellow artists in any artistic endeavors that express these ideas and embrace life.

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Graduates find rewarding careers in the visual design industries including print, corporate design, publishing, packaging, branding, advertising, marketing, television and digital media.

TARA ACTON TYSON ALDOUS CHRIS BOUFFLER MIHYUN CHOI SARAH CLARKE CHRISTOPHER ELTON

GRAPHIC DESIGN

SHANE HARLEY WILL HITCHINS LINDSAY HOWARD ELLA JOHNSTON TARA LUCKHURST RACHEAL MCCOSH LISA NIEDERER KATE O’MALLEY TARA OLDING KARL PHELAN ASHIYA PICKWELL EMMA PITCHER CANDICE PIZZOL SYLVIA RADZIKOWSKA STEFANO ROSELLI CAMILLE SANTIAGO JILLIAN SAUNDERS THOMAS SMITH JEE SURAIDI JESSICA WILLIAMS

TARA ACTON

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Graphic design is my passion!

cheernews17@hotmail.com www.taralouiseacton.com 0439 533 014

I love to work hard to achieve excellence in this field. I have a love for Illustrator and Photoshop, am always up for new challenge, and love to come up with new ideas and concepts, from advertising to branding, corporate identities through to websites. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take on any challenge and always have and always will love to learn new things. I would love to grow in experience through this industry; all I need is a chance. Awards & Achievements Industry Placement at QCA Liveworm Design Studio Entry into Southern Cross Packaging Design Awards 2009

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TYSON ALDOUS

GRADUATESHOWCASE

www.blankcreatives.com 0405 561 140

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Design provides me with the power of creating, originality of thought and personal expression. I pride myself on being able to skillfully and promptly deal with new situations and challenges. I aspire to be ahead of the pack, which encourages me to think outside of the box. I design to provoke a response and to capture the viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s mind. I have also broadened my horizons by applying my knowledge of design to a different area of creative practiceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;fine art.

CHRIS BOUFFLER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Wholeheartedly my passion lies in anything print based. The feeling of a tactile outcome cannot be surpassed. My design aesthetic focuses on strong typography, clean lines, ridged grid and white space. The small details that most people overlook are the things I focus on most.

hello@chrisbouffler.com www.chrisbouffler.com 0431 636 528

I am inspired by all forms of design and have, through my studies, learned to appreciate the meticulous realm that is design. It is my obsession and I would not have it any other way. Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2009 Industry Placement at QCA Liveworm Design Studio Selected for work placement with Ken Cato, Melbourne

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MIHYUN CHOI

GRADUATESHOWCASE

According to Rolf Jensen ‘Future products will have to appeal to our hearts, not to our heads. When this has happened, the prevailing societal model in the affluent countries will no longer be the information society, but the Dream Society’. He estimates now is the time to add emotional value to products and services. I wish to become a creative designer who can give a present to people, which can appeal to people’s hearts like a Crossover in the Pop era. mh3015@hotmail.com www.designergene.com.au 0433 717 021

Awards & Achievements Diploma of Industrial Design, Anyang Technical Collage, Korea Diploma of Graphic Design, Queensland Institute of Business and Technology Bachelor of Digital Media (Graphic Design), Griffith University 2000 Gwanag Hyundai Art Award, Korea, 3rd Prize, Mp3 Product Design

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SARAH CLARKE

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I have always been creative, always drawing, designing and creating, and my studies have added fuel to the fire. Graphic design allows me to live and breathe this creativity.

info@sarahclarkedesign.com sarahclarkedesign.com 0413 819 906

I am passionate about clean, striking design and good typography. As a designer I love to work with print media and have a keen eye for detailâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;my passion for branding grew naturally from this. I love to build brands and see them grow. I aim to grow and gain experience as a designer and pursue my love for this industry. Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2008 & 2009 QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 QCA Gold Coast Being creative: How Does It Feel? School Presentation Team 2009 Entries into Adelaide Fringe Festival Poster Competition 2008 and Southern Cross Packaging Design Awards 2009 Industry Placement at QCA Liveworm Design Studio

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CHRISTOPHER ELTON

GRADUATESHOWCASE

An alternative individual, emphasis placed on the creative ideas process; designing, photographing, filming and simply creating for whatever means necessary, to evoke an emotive response through outcomes considered out there, although essential in maintaining passion for work, for life.

www.christopherjwe.com 0422 987 135

Enjoys being observed as different; however close attention is forever paid to popular culture and trends in a constant bid to stay fresh. Still; Be real to you, and you will prosper for real. Remember, you are armed with a mind.

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SHANE HARLEY

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I immerse. I visualise. I design. I guess you could say I’m obsessed.

hello@shaneharley.net www.shaneharley.net

Sourcing inspiration from the whole creative spectrum—from design, to photography, to cinematography—I never find myself short of ideas. With a passion for branding and corporate identity, I love finding modern solutions to even the most complicated problems. With years of agency experience already under my belt, I’m ready to take on the world, one design at a time.

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WILL HITCHINS

GRADUATESHOWCASE

will@willhitchins.com www.willhitchins.com 0411 875 380

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Art has always been a part of my life, whether or not I knew it. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been sketching, and with the discovery of Adobe software I have been able to create more aesthetic pieces of work. Vector graphics is a big portion of my creative instincts, with my clothing line Enjoy Yourself Clothing being a major representation of this talent. Colour is important in works, makes for a brighter, pleasing viewing experience, as well as making designs of the abnormal.

LINDSAY HOWARD

GRADUATESHOWCASE

The hardest thing for a designer to be is truly ‘different’ and I’m up for the challenge.

hello@lindsayhoward.com.au www.lindsayhoward.com.au 0439 888 894

I strive to stop you in your tracks, blow your mind and knock your socks off. I want to entertain, shock and surprise you. I’m the white space, the grid line, the ligature and the ampersand. I’m a fresh sponge, a friendly memo, your morning coffee and that ‘ah-ha’ moment. Awards & Achievements Industry Placement at QCA Liveworm Design Studio Member of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) 2010 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2008 & 2009

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ELLA JOHNSTON

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Designing is my adrenaline and I am a graphic designer with a passion for packaging. The feel, touch, contour, typography, colour, usability; every design flavour that is seasoned to create an outcome that is not only visually strong, but suitable for the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs. ejgraphicdesigner@live.com www.cakegraphicdesign.com 0404 910 945

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With a keen eye for detail, I like to design simple solutions that are not only effective, but creative, unique and cleverly constructed. My design style is constantly evolving, improving and inspired on a daily basis. I am fresh, current and an addict for visual creativity.

TARA LUCKHURST

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Three years ago I would have said I was a Fine Artist. Today I would say I’m a Graphic Designer and Illustrator…

tluckhurst@hotmail.com www.taraluckhurstdesigns.com 0428 420 967

Things change, life leads you in different directions. But no matter which way I choose to go in life I will always be a “creative”. When I speak visually I bring to life what I otherwise cannot express in words.I hope I can spend the rest of my life learning to speak visually. Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2009

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RACHEAL MCCOSH

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Mixing illustration and typography to create quirky pieces of design is what I love to do. In particular I have interest in design that is out of the ordinary and I enjoy using a myriad of tools that are not limited to the desktop to produce my ideas. holdthatthoughtfrank@live.com www.holdthatthoughtfrank.com 0405 943 697

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With a passion for original thoughts and eyecatching outcomes, I believe in creating work that is aesthetically pleasing and intriguing and I am always up for a new challenge!

LISA NIEDERER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I love capturing energetic inspirational images. With photography and design I feel I have found something I will put 100 per cent into and keep going until I get there.

info@lisaniederer.com www.lisaniederer.com www.swephotography.com 0450 631 464

Jac Jack & Swe is a clothing label designed by Jacklyn Keen and Lisa Niederer. Swe Photography is something I have been building over the last few years while studying. I am always open for new opportunities. Ultimately after I graduate I would like to take on an internship at a magazine and also work in journalism and public relations.

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KATE Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;MALLEY

GRADUATESHOWCASE

me@kateomalley.com www.kateomalley.com 0416 350 682

From a young age I developed an interest in design, which throughout the past three years of study has grown into a passion bordering on obsession. Whilst I feel most at home in front of a computer, I enjoy starting with pencil and paper in hand. As a result of my studies, I have learned to successfully combine colour, shape and typography to create simple, clean and balanced design. Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2009 QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2010 Industry Placement at QCA Liveworm Design Studio Corporate Identity chosen for use by Action Vehicles

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TARA OLDING

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Ever since I could pick up a pencil I’ve been scribbling and drawing—there was no scrap of paper or notepad that was safe, and not once did that change, not even now that I am twenty one. The only difference between now and then is that I’ve grown from a tyke who had no idea what she was scribbling to a graphic designer.

taraoldinggraphicdesign@gmail.com 0439 537 727

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KARL PHELAN

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I aim to further blur the lines between Graphic Design and Fine Art. Designing not only for purpose but also for art and aesthetics. Using strong graphic styles, with a focus on fundamentals of design, typography, space and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hand-madeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Inspired by advertising and a culture of consumerism itself. vanphelan@yahoo.com www.vanphelan.com 0404 184 231

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My work is commercially viable, but also at home in a gallery.

ASHIYA PICKWELL

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I hate stock imagery, I hate unoriginality,

ashiya.design@gmail.com www.ashiyapickwell.com 0435 881 864

And I believe that the computer is the last step in any good design. I love working over a platform of medias with special interests in printmaking and photography. Although I love to collaborate with other creatives, having skills in both Graphic Design and Photography allows me to work on every aspect of most projects. My strongest skill is probably image making, but I love learning and am constantly learning new skills.

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EMMA PITCHER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

As a graphic designer, my passion lies in producing creative solutions for design problems. The past three years of study have seen me develop a distinct personal style, influenced by a love of vintage and all things pretty. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;m fascinated by the intricacies of pattern and find pleasure in both using them in my work and creating my own. My aspiration is to excite and inspire the observer, a goal I hope to achieve throughout a future in the industry. emma@emmapitcher.com www.emmapitcher.com 0450 478 507

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Awards & Achievements Griffith Award for Academic Excellence 2009 Industry Placement at QCA Liveworm Design Studio

CANDICE PIZZOL

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Design is my passion; diversity and versatility my forte. I have a sweet tooth for print design, illustration, web design, photography and typographyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all things visually scrumptious.

contact@candicepizzol.com www.candicepizzol.com 0410 152 784

The wonders of my surroundings inspire me and my gamut of emotions motivates me. I love releasing the flow of creative juices that blend inspiration, imagination and thoughts into one-of-a-kind design treats. My designs are deliciously different; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always keep surprising. Awards & Achievements Winner of Snowboard Clearance Expression Session Board Design Competition 2009

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SYLVIA RADZIKOWSKA

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Print-based advertising campaign (Graphics 2)

s_radzikowska@hotmail.com www.sylviadoughty.com 0402 612 596

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The key issue is homelessness and the organisation was Community Care. The concept is based on the idea that the person you are giving to could be a person like yourself. Anybody is open to having the misfortune of making the wrong choices in life and becoming homeless, from all walks of life, and this campaign played on the idea of placing yourself you in their shoes. Awards & Achievements Completed Bachelor of Digital Media July 2010

STEFANO ROSELLI

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Hi, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Stef. I grew up on a diet of comics and cartoons and have had a super tumultuous relationship with the pencil and pad since.

stefroselli@gmail.com www.stefroselli.com 0432 343 558

My work feeds pop culture and fine art through a grinder and while illustration is my first love, typography and design are a close second. Having worked in a digital media studio, designing and branding for print and web, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve experienced the kick of being stuck in traffic, staring at a car with your designs on it.

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CAMILLE SANTIAGO

GRADUATESHOWCASE

I am a dabbler in a bit of everything; a designer, a digital artist, a photographer all in one. I have known from the age of seven that the visual arts was where I belonged and I know it is where I will stay. I love the sound of the camera shutter, the idea that anything is possible within a digital space and being saturated in the world of creative minds that is QCA. hello@camille-nathania.com www.camille-nathania.com 0423 504 906

Awards & Achievements Third Place in Web Design, 2007 International Secondary Schools Digital Design Challenge Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Winner, 2009 Smile Photography Competition QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2010 QCA PASS Tutor (Graphic Design) 2010

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JILLIAN SAUNDERS

GRADUATESHOWCASE

The past couple of years for me have been a complete learning adventure and an exploration of all the different aspects of design. From corporate identity to going back to the hand-drawn world, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to realise Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a bit of a design all-rounder.

hello@jilliansaunders.com.au www.jilliansaunders.com.au 0438 146 871

My passion lies in logo design and illustration in particular. I enjoy incorporating textures and illustration into my design, giving my work an organic feel through a balance of digital and hand-drawn media.

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THOMAS SMITH

GRADUATESHOWCASE

info@smithphoto.com 0423 789 402

When I was younger I loved to draw; it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until applying for university that I realised I could turn my love of creating visual images into a profession. The Visual Media course has allowed me to develop my skills in both graphic design, and another passion of mine, photography. I am an easy-going guy with a fun attitude towards life. I love to surf and skate and designing is a creative way to express myself through my graphic work. Being a university student is great, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s time for me to branch out and hopefully land my dream job. Industry freelance work - Unit Riders - 2Chillies - Towers Pharmacy - Kestore Online Pharmacy - Surf Charters Indonesia - Chameleon Silver

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JEE SURAIDI

GRADUATESHOWCASE

Influenced by Heidi Slimane of Dior Homme, Frida Giannini of Gucci, fashion genius of New York designer Alexander Wang, the world of streetwear and high fashion has always inspired me in my work in design and creativity. My work in graphic design has always revolved around fashion styling, fashion editing, publications and collaborating with various fashion designers. Designing is not just about having the talent and appreciating the beauty of it, it is about creating an idea, a metaphor and tells a story. An artist is the creator of Beauty.

jeedesignspace@gmail.com www.fashionistevolution.wordpress.com +61 425 449 290 +65 9117 3753

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JESSICA WILLIAMS

GRADUATESHOWCASE

jess@jessicaleedesign.com.au www.jessicaleedesign.com.au 0407 390 400

Majoring in Graphic Design, with a sub-major in Photojournalism, I like to incorporate photography with graphic design. I have loved to draw since I was young and find illustration plays a dominant role in my graphic design. I have found that I have strong design style, which usually consists of black and white as the main colour palette with one carefully selected colour to portray the brand. Awards & Achievements Bronze in 2009 Southern Cross Package Design Awards

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DALE COLLIER FRANCIS WILD

The Honours program has been designed to enable students who have demonstrated substantial ability at an undergraduate level to develop advanced levels of studio practice, supporting theory and an advanced level of research understanding. A specific research focus enables students to tailor a career direction.

HONOURS

ETIENNE ANCELET

GRADUATESHOWCASE

HELP! IDEAS ARE EATING MY BRAIN!!

etienneancelet@hotmail.com 0411 788 960

I wasn’t really sure what kind of designer I wanted to be. I loved all kinds of design. I always tried to push the boundaries of what I could do. But after three years of study and having completed a variety of courses from the Digital, 3D, Graphic and Fine Art majors, I still didn’t know what to become! I emerged as a ‘Designer of Things‘. Now as an Honours student, I’m researching film, because it lets me use a heap of the ideas that are EATING MY BRAIN! Awards & Achievements Member of the International Golden Key Honour Society QCA Academic Casual 2010 QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2010

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DALE COLLIER

GRADUATESHOWCASE

dalecollier@gmail.com Another frustrated self with deficient sense of agency, practice and projection not bound by location. Rough placed serrations, the street, the sins, the dirt, and dirty oil. Tar, rubber, nicotine and polystyrene all inscribing their own little masterpiece on a collaborative memory collage dedicated to any one passer-by wishing to pay attention. Stumbling home with a pocketsized data projector, an object of technology that enables the staging of my own mediated body. Awards & Achievements David Attenborough Commonwealth Scholarship Award 2007â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2010 Exhibitions: Mediamorphosis, December 2009, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise Mediamorphosis, November 2009, White Box Gallery, Queensland College of Art The Used & Found Style Traders Art space & Salon, August 2009, Southport CBD Middle of Somewhere, May 2009, Burleigh Underground Drummers Warehouse,

Burleigh Heads Art Express 2003â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2004 National Touring Student Exhibition

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FRANCIS WILD

GRADUATESHOWCASE

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” - George Lois. I am a problem solver, first and foremost, but I am a creative one. I am a designer, not just a graphic or digital designer or photographer, I am a creative designer. I am also fascinated by colour and how we interact with it. Colour is used creatively to communicate, entice or gain attention. This has been the focus of my Honours year. frankey@frankeysdesigns.com www.frankeysdesigns.com 0431 906 712

Awards & Achievements QCA Student Leadership Mentor 2009 and 2010 Member of Design Institute of Australia, The Colour Society of Australia & International Golden Key Honour Society Exhibitions: QCA Gold Coast Graduate Exhibition, 13–20 November 2009, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus QCA Gold Coast Highlights Exhibition, 27–30 October 2009, Gold Coast City Council Chambers, Bundall, Gold Coast

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supporters & sponsors

SUPPORTERSSPONSORS

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