CV

Roly Skender - audiovisual artist / producer

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M +61 403 330 913                                                                         

E studio.frankensound@gmail.com

W www.frankensound.com.au

 

Date of Birth

24th December, 1973

 

Roly Skender is a Western Australian audiovisual artist, producer and musician working with digital design, video projection and new media technologies. His work often augments urban and natural environments, capturing the public imagination via mesmerising light-powered spectacles. His public artworks include the award-winning interactive digital performer ‘The Virtual Busker’ along with large-scale projection installations ‘If Buildings Could Speak’ and ‘LightWaves’, designed to provoke curiosity and conversation as ephemeral public displays. In December 2022, his collaborative work with Wardandi Elders and photographer Martine Perret, “Wannang Biridge” was invited to open the Decade of Indigenous Languages at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

 

Public Art and Events
 

Wannang Biridge (Light of the Peppermint Tree)  – UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France and The Farm, Margaret River

• 2022 – Commissioned audiovisual installation on a large peppermint tree at The Farm. A collaboration with photographer Martine Perret and Wardandi elders and family Vivian Brockman Webb, Mitchella, Mabenan and Majinda Hutchins. The work was also shown by UNESCO for the opening of The Decade of Indigenous Languages in Paris – December 2022.

LightWaves – 10 Nights in Port Festival, City of Fremantle

• 2022 – Commissioned audiovisual installation representing a digital ocean featuring slow motion waves rising and crashing in a mesmerising cyclic spectacle. Large wall and floor projections with sound system.

The Space Between Us – City of Vincent

• 2021 – Collaboration with artist/designer Kate Rae, resulting in a series of four laser-cut steel sculptures in permanently installed at Beatty Park, North Perth. The work represented themes of social distancing through digital design and optical illusion.

City of Lights – Perth Festival

• 2021 – Projections on the outside of the State Library building in the Perth Cultural Centre. Content drawn from the Library’s historical archives.

If Buildings Could Speak – City of Perth

• 2020 – A series of pop-up projection interventions in the city related to the COVID pandemic and local architecture.

Disrupted Festival Projections – State Library of Western Australia

• 2020 – Projections and mapping on the State Library for the Disrupted Festival

The Nightingale – WA Opera

• 2020 – Video design and content production for the ‘mechanical’ nightingale translucent scrim projection.

 

Alien Ballet – City of Stirling Art Awards (digital art award winner)

• 2019 – A digital video piece which draws playfully on dance to create new organic forms through contrast and symmetry.

Flywire – ARTTRA Light Festival, Town of Claremont

• 2019 – Suspended outdoor projection installation and sound design presented in the empty space between trees.

Astrofest Projections – Curtin University, Belmont

• 2019/20 – Astronomy-inspired building mapping for the 10th anniversary of the event.

Hayman Theatre Projection Installation – Curtin University, Belmont

• 2019 – A geometry-inspired projection installation and foyer design for the Hayman Theatre 2019 Fringe World season.

The Virtual Busker – City of Perth, Town of Claremont, City of Hobart, White Night Ballarat

• 2017/19 – Interactive musical street projection featuring a life-size, projected musician, performing as a ‘penny’ is dropped into a hat by members of the public.

The Old Railway Goods Shed Projections – Collie

• 2018 – Projection mapping and sound design for Operation Next Gen, encouraging entrepreneurship in rural areas. Sponsored by Bendigo Bank.

Accidental Cinema – City of Perth, Perth

• 2017/18 – Shopfront projection installations/activations, sponsored by the Revelation Film Festival and the National Film and Sound Archive.

Joondalup Festival – City of Joondalup

• 2017/18 – Content filming, audiovisual production, 3D design and presentation of large-scale projections for Festival events.

Suspended Voices – Revelation Film Festival, Perth

• 2017 – Suspended audiovisual installation and sound composition commissioned by Revelation in partnership with the City of Perth.

Future Shock – Soft Soft Loud, Fremantle Arts Centre

• 2017 – Lighting design, control system development and operation of 1628 ball LED curtain.

Cyberbile – Santa Maria College, Perth

• 2017 – Visual design, cue system development and projection mapping for theatre production.

Building Voices - Festival of Voices, Hobart

• 2016 – An audiovisual composition created with singers from the Hobart Festival community and presented in Salamanca Place at the 2016 Festival of Voices.

Stretch Arts Festival Opening – City of Mandurah

• 2016 – Artistic Director for opening event featuring music, performance, projection, aerial, sculpture and community artworks.

Long Chim Perth, Sydney and Melbourne – FJM Property Group

• 2016/2017 – Permanent projection installations for the restaurants of Australian chef, restauranteur and cookery writer, David Thompson.

Trigger - Ausdance

• 2015-2019 – Interactive projections for Dance Week at the Northbridge Piazza and Brookfield Place. Projections responded to dancer’s body movements.

Dark Matter - Praxis

• 2015/2016 – Software design for 3D visualisation and Kinect motion tracking.

HiLIGHTS - State Library Foundation of WA

• 2014 – A large-scale projection on the State Library of Western Australia in celebration of their 125th Anniversary.

The 849 - City of Fremantle

• 2014 – A large projection on the Fremantle Town Hall in remembrance of the 849 soldiers who left for WWI from Fremantle and did not return.

Beaufort St Pavement Murals - City of Vincent

• 2014 – Design of 2 large scale permanent pavement artworks on Beaufort St, Mt Lawley (40m x 20m).

Floral Combustion Projections - City of South Perth

• 2014 – A 3-night series of interactive tree projections on the South Perth foreshore.

 

Grand Lunapest - 20th Century Fox

• 2014 – Projection mapping of the Luna Cinema in Leederville, WA for the opening week of the Wes Anderson film, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Arbouritions - Fairbridge Festival

• 2014-2015 – Musically-inspired projections in trees for the popular folk music Festival south of Perth.

 

 

Software and VJ
 

Vongplay

• 2013 – design and coding of an innovative multi-track webcam recording app and platform for audiovisual collaboration. www.vongplay.com

Songo

• 2012 – design and coding of a unique chord-finding app on multiple platforms which offers an alternative visualisation of musical keys.

Awesome Arts

• 2013 – Interactive video projections for the public, Awesome Festival

• 2004 - 2014 – Audiovisual consultant and workshop co-ordination including Creative Challenge in rural communities.

• 2009 – Public Outdoor Projection Installation for Diploma Construction

City of Swan

• 2006 - 2013 – DVD Producer (including camera operation, interviews, editing and consultation) promoting Hyperfest, Hypervision and associated youth-related events.

Supersonic Enterprises

• 2004 – 2014 - Vision mixing, VJing and camera for medium and large scale events

John Butler Trio

• 2006-2008 – VJ and Video Production manager (06,07,08,12).

Perth Theatre Company

• 2013 – Audiovisual Designer, Alienation.

• 2008 – Visual Producer, design and operation for The Turning by Tim Winton.

• 2006 – Video Designer for Amadeus starring Tim Minchin.

• 2004/2005 – Design and consulting for Soulmates and Welcome to Dullsville.

Perth International Arts Festival

• 2004-2007 - Program Launch video pre-production design and operation.

WA Symphony Orchestra

• 2004-2007 – Video Design and operation for children’s concerts

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Music
 

Experience Collider

• 2019, Live performance (guitar) and composition for DADAA (arts and disability) and the Awesome Festival. A dance/theatre/circus project working with young people from Circus WA’s Youth Troupe and young people with high-support needs.

The Golden Run

• 2018, Musical direction for the Fringe World theatre performance at The Moon, featuring Stoney Joe and Matt Crossland. Nominated for a Fringe award in ‘Theatre’.

Brothers & Sisters

• 2015, Musical Director for sold-out Fringe World season. The show was a recital of the music from the Cohen Brothers’ 2000 film ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou’ and developed through a collaborative workshop and rehearsal process.

Folkworld Inc

• 2013-2018, The Quest song writing and recording workshops for young people

WA Music Industry Assoc

• 2003-2010, Song writing and recording workshops in schools and communities.

Perth Theatre Company

• 2007, Sound design for Baby Boomer Blues by Alan Becher.

• 2008, Sound design for Glorious by Peter Quilter .

• 2009, Sound design for The Matchmaker by John B. Keane

Advertising:

• Better Pets and Gardens, West Australian Greens Party, Eftel, National Computer Converters, Computer Expo.

Live Music/Bands

• Stoney Joe (current), Roly Skender and The Tonics, Rawbone, Circus Murders.

 

 

Other
 

Quantum Rabbit

• 2017 - present – A podcast of ‘Art, Music and Tech Adventures’ presented by Roly Skender. www.quantumrabbit.net

Frankensound

• 2003 - present – Multimedia Production and design studio.

Drum Media

• 2007 Weekly writer for Behind the Lines studio interviews and music technology.

 

Awards & Nominations
 

• 2019 – Digital Art Winner for ‘Alien Ballet’ – City of Stirling Art Awards.

• 2018 – Art Prize Winner for ‘The Virtual Busker’ - ARTTRA Light Festival, Claremont.

• 2018 – The Golden Run nominated for a theatre award at Fringe World Perth. Directed by Roly Skender.

• 2012/14 – Stoney Joe nominated Country Music Act of the Year at WA Music Industry Awards

• 2013 – Stoney Joe nominated Independent Album of the Year for Hot Jerky at the WA Country Music Awards.

• 2008 – WAM Song of the Year and Pop category winner - Feel, Roly Skender and The Tonics.

• 2005 – Best Animation in a Music Video, St Kilda Film Festival - Free, Roly Skender.

 

 

Referees

 

Marcus Canning                                  Jenny Simpson                                   

Director                                             Chief Executive Officer

The Rechabyte                                   Awesome Arts Inc      

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M +61 407 779 874                             M +61 409 682 234      

E hello@marcuscanning.com                E jenny@awesomearts.com