Dive and Dena join speakers line-up for 2017 Emergence Creative Festival in Margaret River
Two more speakers have been announced for the Emergence Creative Festival 2017 line-up.
Celebrated installation artist and former member of The Glue Society, James Dive, and writer/designer/director Christy Dena will join Jennifer Sullivan (LA), Malinda Wink (SYD), Anna Laverty (MELB), Matt Eastwood (NYC), Jens Hertzum (NZ), Rodney Glick (UBUD) and Angus Kingsmill (SYD) in Margaret River this March.
James Dive (SYD)
James Dive is an internationally celebrated installation artist, director and co-founder of Scoundrel Projects, a studio dedicated to bringing bold, unconventional ideas to life. He has built a unique reputation as someone who wilfully and successfully flirts the line between art and commerce.
A former member of The Glue Society, Dive’s multi-disciplinary approach to creativity has seen his work appear everywhere from contemporary art shows in Miami to billboards in Iraq.
Dive’s creative practice has been the subject of critical acclaim throughout his career including a Grand Prix at Cannes, three Cannes Gold Lions, and the recipient of the Major Art Award by Jens Erik Sørensen, the Director of ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Denmark.
Dive was quoted as ‘the highlight of Miami Basel’ by The Guardian and in 2014 Dive was chosen for the cover of Wild Art, a Phaidon publication celebrating artists who challenge the perimeters of the established art world.
His work includes the iconic melted ice cream van, Hot With the Chance of a Late Storm, and the infamous raining house, I Wish You Hadn’t Asked, which attracted (and soaked) huge crowds in both Sydney and Denmark.
Dive has built a strong reputation for his ability to take on and deliver commercial artistic commissions using his skills as a film director and artist, including the award winning ANZ Gaytms and the acclaimed Tiger Beer Trading Co. in New York.
He works as an artist and director from Scoundrel’s Studio in Chippendale, Sydney.
Christy Dena (BRIS)
Christy Dena is a writer-designer-director who has worked on award-winning alternate reality games, live games, board games, film, digital and theatre projects. She has won multiple interactive writing awards, and her installations have toured around Australia and the world. She co-founded the exotic residential lab for creatives who work in the fringes, called Forward Slash Story.
Her clients include Nokia, Cisco/No Mimes Media, ABC, Wieden+Kennedy, and Bangarra Dance Theatre. She has given keynotes and presentations at film, tech, writing, and gaming festivals worldwide. She has mentored industry professionals around the world; has written numerous articles on writing and design; been published in numerous books; and wrote a PhD on Transmedia Practice.
As Chair of Games and Department Coordinator of Games at SAE Creative Media Institute, Dena oversaw how games were taught across Australia and Dubai. She was Professor Adjunct at Creative Industries, QUT; and is a Member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmys); Member of the Australian Directors Guild; Member of the Australian Writers’ Guild, and a Board Member of the Entertainment Technology Press (ETC).
Dena is a juror for the International Digital Emmy Awards, IPF Web Drama Series, and many other programs including the Australia Council for the Arts. She wrote a PhD on Transmedia Practice, and wrote the definition of ‘transmedial fictions’ for the The Johns Hopkins Encyclopedia of Digital Textuality.
The 2017 Emergence Creative Festival will run from Wednesday March 29 to Saturday April 1 in the Margaret River Region. For further information and to book tickets, visit www.emergencecreative.com