10 words or less – sum up the experience.

It was wonderful creating alongside Tal, Sam, Lisa and Loki.

You created an original audio drama called ‘The Neighbour’ as part of your ArtKeeper residency. Tell us about the inspiration for the work and what we can expect from the pilot episode.

Relocating to the Gold Coast with my young family presented some major challenges not least of which was an unfortunate rental experience in a 70s apartment building full of some vivid and intense neighbours. The Neighbour dives into an imagined story of one of those neighbours – an elderly man who had been seemingly left to die alone in his apartment by his family. Harry, the protagonist in the series, shares my own fixation, frustration, curiosity and sadness at that man's predicament. But in Harry's case, trying to understand the past of his neighbour leads him down a very dark rabbit hole, one that becomes an unhealthy and all-consuming distraction from his own issues. This pilot episode is hopefully mysterious, noir, a little off kilter and leaves you hanging for a future second episode.

Having observed and documented the typically unseen daily labour of artists that occurred during this year’s ArtKeeper program, what are your reflections? 

I'm fortunate in that I work alongside artists and as an artist a lot. Sometimes the things we do to create work are unrecognisable, unorthodox or unfamiliar to many people. Most artists have a unique practice, making each approach to work harder to convey again. And because the output of artists is often subjectively assessed according to taste, it's easy to dismiss or trivialise the labour of an artist if their work simply isn't someone's cup of tea. But the thing that I see amongst all of my fellow ArtKeepers is not just strong work ethic, but a critical capacity to generate cultural and economic value from the limited resources at their disposal. They are efficient operators. Which is no surprise! The Australia Institute reported in 2020¹ that for every million dollars in turnover, arts and entertainment produce 9 jobs while the construction industry only produces around 1 job. My fellow ArtKeepers are lean, mean, creative machines. 

As a relative newcomer to the Gold Coast, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve observed about the city so far? 

The question of identity. The Gold Coast is clearly changing, fast. I hope the decision makers can enact choices that reflect what the future Gold Coast and all its citizens need to live rich, sustainable and meaningful lives. 

What’s next for ‘The Neighbour’ and for you? 

I'm heading into rehearsal for Love Stories as part of Brisbane Festival before touring the show to Townsville. I'm considering adapting the full story of The Neighbour into a one man show for the stage.

1. Reference:  https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Background-Brief-Economic-importance-of-arts-and-entertainment-WEB.pdf