The Melbourne Town Hall is a magnificent heritage building steeped in history. The moment you walk up the red carpet staircase, you will be struck by the historic significance of the building.

The breathtaking majesty of the main hall and the soaring seventy-foot ceilings are crowned with glamorous chandeliers. The centrepiece is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere — is Melbourne’s own original wood-carved Grand Organ.

For us, it’s the perfect place to host a party. Almost 800 employees from online employment hub, SEEK, celebrated the year’s end in their annual costume party .

Dressed using a combination of premium furniture, bespoke floral installations and cost-effective styling solutions the space included subtle integrations of mirror balls and reflections to add continuity.

Guests enjoyed canapés across the evening, and instead of the notorious end of night kebab run, we had them covered with late night snacks.

Usually performing at Melbourne’s most prominent venues, and heard on community radio PBS FM and Triple R respectively, DJs Watts Love and MzRizk flanked DJ and sax playing headliner Jimi the Queen.

Lighting and SFX emphasising the client’s signature brand colours using pinks and subtle blues lights as a base wash to signify 'party' and highlight the interior features of the Melbourne Town Hall and the organ. Lasers and haze machines always a must.

Creative Production | The Social Crew
Furniture | Dann Event Hire
SPX / Lighting | AVD
Lasers | Sound Experience
Floral Installations | Flowers Vasette

Photography by Nicole Reed

Presented by Tassie’s Museum of New and Old Art (MONA), Mona Foma is a unique summer festival spread across two weekends in Launceston and Hobart, showcasing a diverse range of art, music, and everything in between.

The festival has gained a reputation for pushing boundaries and challenging traditional artistic and musical conventions, attracting those seeking something out of the ordinary. The festival's program includes a wide range of events, from experimental music performances and immersive art installations to interactive workshops and engaging talks and discussions.

As described by MONA’s Senior Curator Emma Pike, Mona Foma is “An exhibition of genuine and manufactured 'coming-togetherness' within the decommissioned shell of the old Launceston Tafe.

The exhibition’s namesake is marketing material found in a dusty corner of the college which was produced to encourage enrolment in the 1980s. The exhibition speaks to a community's earnest desire for ‘coming-togetherness’ whilst acknowledging the impossibility of artificially fabricating such a thing. Several works are created through unlikely collaborations and successfully generate new communities through their development, while others express the desire for but failure to connect and the ramifications of this. Tongue in cheek interventions inhabit the site providing commentary on artificial, commercial and politicised ideas of community, from corporate team building to defunded community centres, place-making policies and failed education systems.”

We had the opportunity to work alongside Emma and the team to produce a selection of the visual arts program and develop the visitor experience, which was held for the first time in a vacant heritage building - affectionately known as the Old TAFE - in Launceston.

Works were hosted across a monopoly of rooms around the perimeter of the building including performance, audio/visual works and interactive works including |

Olho da Rua (Out Loud) 2022
Jonathas de Andrade
Commissioned and produced by Fondazione in Between Art Film
Video and Sound works
Courtesy Nara Roesler Gallery, New York

Border Farce 2022
Safdar Ahmed
Video installation
Breakfast in Bed 2016
Kenneth Tam
Video Installation

Manapanmirr, in Christmas Spirit 2012
Miyarrka Media
Video Installation
Courtesy Miyarrka Media
Song of the Sea Witch 2020

Marnie Weber
Video and Sound Installation
Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery, London
Interbeing 2018
Martina Hoogland Ivanow
two-channel video installation
Distributed by Filmform

To encourage visitors to move throughout the building, we leaned right on into creating the visitor experience, aptly titled Fantastic Futures. Think ‘Between Two Ferns’ meets water cooler moments - meets motivational post-it - meets lots of things happening in circles. Dressed subtly enough to draw visitors in and question the irony, the aesthetic repeated itself across the hallways, nooks and spaces of the Old Tafe.

By night, the exterior areas played host to a diverse line-up of music programming including Kae Tempest, The Chills, Perturbator, and Soccer Mommy. As part of the evening shift visual transformation, we teamed up with the Lighting Director to create spaces that lightened dark spaces and lured guests into the Punk Bunker - an epic pit of sweat and orange haze.

As Creative Producers for Rone, we often look for ways to extend experiences.

Rone’s mural work has been accessible to all across the world since the early 2000s contributing to the vibrant urban culture that Melbourne is renowned for globally.

The world's most accessible genre of contemporary art, street-art, encapsulates its own unique expression of art throughout cities. Additionally, mural works are intended for an audience to stumble across when moving through spaces, more often than not, cities.

TIME • RONE | Flinders Street Station - Free Experiences

RONE: Tableau of Without Darkness There is No Light
The nature of the works disappearing, or being visible for a fleeting time, is a centre of Rone’s work.

Street art, the world's most accessible genre of contemporary art, encapsulates its own unique expression of art throughout cities - intended for an audience to stumble across when moving through spaces, more often than not, cities.

To stay true to his humble beginnings, ensuring art continues to be accessible to all, Rone offers an introduction to his installation work as a tableau of Without Darkness There is No Light from his 2021 exhibition, Rone in Geelong.

This work is a reflection of a work from our past, but also connects you to the future of his exploration and his art as an installation. The nature of the works disappearing, or being visible for a fleeting time, is a centre of Rone’s work.

Mixed Business Store
Opposite Degraves Street, the Mixed Business Store brings together Melbourne’s underground creative network in a specially curated space, focusing on contemporary art, product and makers, and celebrating the breadth of talent within the city.

Featuring a range of objects, keepsakes and gadgets in a specially curated offering, the space celebrates collective relationships and strengthens visitors' knowledge of Melbourne’s artistic community, in one location.

Newly designed Melbourne merchandise, plus a selection of products by Callum Preston, Carla McRae, David Booth (Ghost Patrol), Lucy Lucy, Mysterious Al, Stephen Baker and local makers Kate Bowman, Nate Gamble and more.

The Newsagency
Dilapidated, boarded up, with its only occupants hungry termites – the facade of a retail space welcomes its next inhabitant.

Re-imagined as it may once have been, The Newsagency – complete with hand-painted signs, strewn papers and the news of the day – is an introduction to what one might expect at Rone's latest exhibition, TIME.

www.rone.art

Artist Rone
Set Decoration by Carly Spooner
Shop Build by Callum Preston

Creative Production including |
- Location Scouting
- Grant Writing + Application
- Visitor Experience Development
- Supplier Sourcing and Management
- Marketing Strategy and Implementation
- Operations Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Staff Sourcing / Management
- Store Curation Assistance
- Contract Negotiation and Financial Management

Supported by the City of Melbourne, Event Partnership Program

Photography by Nicole Reed
Newsagency image by RONE

Set in the long-abandoned third-floor of Flinders Street Station and two additional locations, TIME was an immersive art exhibition by artist Rone. We had the pleasure of leading a team of more than 200 people, across all facets from creative and technical production, operations, marketing and experience choreography.

A fictional history that transports audiences to post-WWII Melbourne, Time is inspired by an era when European migrants powered the city’s booming manufacturing industries. A vignette of mid-century working-class life and an ode to the faded yet enduring beauty of this forgotten place, Time captured the spirit of the city’s industrious past while offering glimpses of the station’s role as a once-glorious hub of work, learning and social life.

Eleven installations, each room adorned with Rone’s haunting signature murals, the artist and our extensive team created an immersive, multi-sensory installation that audiences will remember for time to come.

Presenting an exhibition of this style scale in a heritage building required a colossal amount of planning across 3.5 years. From securing the venue to production, lighting, sound, scenic design to finite dressing. Then add fun things like; unused for over 30 years, bump in across a 40m platform, fire codes, weight restrictions, narrow doorways, an active train station... a beautiful test patience and defiance.

A vignette of mid-century working-class life and an ode to the faded yet enduring beauty of this forgotten place, Time captured the spirit of the city’s industrious past while offering glimpses of the station’s role as a once-glorious hub of work, learning and social life.

Exquisite and meticulous set design and dressing, partnered with a musical score and sequenced lighting design, the exhibition interiors were adorned with Rone’s signature murals in each room. The final installations captured both the grand scale and character of the Flinders Street's hidden rooms and the minute detail of a post-war period of Melbourne’s history long lost to progress.

We went big with our marketing efforts, embracing new mediums and innovative tactics. Digital billboards, on-street advertising, a captivating social media campaign combined with a thorough publicity approach were key to making our mark in major cities across Australia.

Our second sell out production for Rone, well over one hundred thousand people travelled from across Australia and from 37 different countries around the world to visit. As a result of these past shows, Rone’s audience has now exponentially increased, drawing very special guests including Comedian Alan Carr and 80's icon Cyndi Lauper.

The Social Crew delivered the following services (and then some).

- End to End Project Management
- Creative Production
- Technical Production
- Operations Management
- Marketing Strategy and Implementation
- Communications
- Social Media Campaign
- Content Creation
- Ticketing Implementation
- Guest Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Staff Sourcing / Management
- Grant Writing + Application
- Successful application for the RISE Fund.

A Selection of Our Achievements

The project was independently produced and managed. Awarded Recipient of $1.86M RISE Funding. 2nd Exhibition in the history of Flinders St Station. The 6 month exhibition sold out every session which saw over 100,000 people through the space, visiting from over 37 countries including Australia, USA, UK, New Zealand, China, Mexico, and Germany.

Our extensive marketing and publicity campaign achieved a combined total number of almost 500k impressions across online, print, broadcast media and outdoor advertising, with the artist receiving a substantial increase in social media followers. The online audience increased EDM 60,000 / socials by approx. 20,000. Artist visitation increased by 600%. International exposure across 37 countries.

Not accessed for over 30 years, we understand the venue is now partaking in studies to continue to house art exhibitions.

The project employed up to 170 specialist creatives, and extended to approximately 130 suppliers. A total of 400+ people including our newly introduced specialists across set design, fabrication, engineering, sound and lighting production. Full list of collaborators via Rone.

Case Study reflecting our work is available.

PRESS RELEASE
April 2022

One Big Culture Hit Melbourne nights come alive with new late-night event Art After Dark.

Inspired by Europe’s Night of Museums, Melbourne’s inaugural Art After Dark invites the adventurous to open doors and discover the dynamic depths of a city with culture in its veins. Explore the city’s much-loved cultural institutions and revel in an inventive, artistic feast on Friday 13 - Saturday 14 May from 6pm – 1am on both nights.

NGV Australia and NGV International, Arts Centre Melbourne, Fed Square, ACMI, State Library of Victoria and Melbourne Museum will all open late for this thrilling night- time experience. Presented by Visit Victoria and produced by The Social Crew, this dynamic and limited-time-only program of free and ticketed experiences includes live music, visual and performing arts, food and drink, encouraging visitors to escape into the city and discover something new at Melbourne's cultural venues.

Art After Dark will see Melbourne’s famous cultural institutions come together for a late-night program of experiences. See the likes of BRIGGS, Human Nature, late- night screenings of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, never seen before installations and much more for

two big nights to experience the city at its cultural creative and vibrant best.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said: “Art After Dark Melbourne is an exciting way for Melburnians to discover something new at our unsurpassed cultural venues. This new major event is supporting jobs and will bring tens of thousands of people into the CBD boosting our night-time economy.”

Belinda Collins, The Social Crew creative director said: “We're really excited to see these iconic Melbourne venues collaborate to curate Art After Dark - a vibrant and colourful program of new works and reintroduce some faves. The breadth of creativity presented in Melbourne’s art scene is one that should be celebrated and we encourage everyone to book quickly and make a night of it - or two! It's a wonderful surprise of visual installations, music, film, exhibitions and much more. It's time to get out there.”

Head to Fed Square on Friday 13 May for a Fed Square Live headlined by music sensation BRIGGS, supported by Kee'ahn, with her signature soulful melodies, Melbourne DJ Soju Gang and neo-soul band Izy. The deadly concert will be followed by the launch of Australian-first art installation, Constellations. Lighting up over two nights, Constellations is a fascinating journey where the vectorial, monochromatic aesthetics of international artist Joanie Lemercier collaborates with the electronic soundscapes of producer Paul Jebanasam. Take in Art After Dark’s sights and sounds at Federation Square with a free takeaway hot chocolate, coffee, s’mores treat and glow in the dark fairy floss.

NGV Australia welcomes the return of popular exhibition, Mass, from Triennial, along with pop-up programming throughout the night to engender moments of joy and contemplation, from poetry readings to choir and DJs, Mass celebrates universally human form that links us all.

NGV International’s iconic bluestone building will be transformed with a light projection curated as part of the free QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection. While in the Great Hall, artist Hannah Brontë’s immersive video installation EYE HEAR U MAGIK 2020 explores how ancestral intuition has been passed down through Aboriginal people in the wake of colonisation. Visitors can revel at art across all levels as the entire venue will be open with free access to all exhibitions.

Arts Centre Melbourne will present an evening of nostalgia on stage with live performances, including from Australian home-grown heroes Human Nature on Saturday 14 May. In addition, the Art After Dark programming includes the Australian Music Vault to stay open late with curators and tour guides telling stories and engaging with visitors about local music. The forecourt will have DJs playing from the balcony and additional food trucks will accompany the offering of the Art Centre Melbourne bars.

Melbourne Museum will present an immersive and unforgettable night time experience with projections, food trucks, pop-up bars, DJs and more for Museum Universe. Programming includes late night exhibition access to Triceratops and screenings of IMAX’s blockbuster Marvel release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

An audience favourite is expected to be the debut of Midnight at Pink Lake, a 360-degree immersive projection by The Electric Canvas, in collaboration with The Orbweavers and Gather Media in the dome of the La Trobe Reading Room at the State Library of Victoria. Themed programming, Dream State, will allow visitors to experience a different state of mind as they journey through the library after dark. In addition, the library interior will be animated with a series of interactions that amplify the theme of wellbeing, including live bibliotherapy sessions, mindful workshops and hands- on activities for all ages, as well as music and food and beverage offerings. This visual and aural experience - part guided meditation, part poem, part chant, part song - will leave audiences feeling uplifted and rejuvenated. Roving performers will move throughout all of the programmed spaces, interacting with and entertaining visitors. Other programming will include drop-in craft activities, giant chess, and a range of wellbeing themed participatory programs.

ACMI will present Gillian Wearing: Editing Life – an exhibition presented by ACMI with Photo 2022 International Festival of Photography. British Artist Gillian Wearing turns the lens on herself in this exploration of memory and mortality. Other programming includes the free exhibition, Oskar Fischinger’s Raumlichtkunst. This exhibition presents one of the first multimedia projections ever made. Raumlichtkunst is a reconstruction of Oskar Fischinger’s multiple-screen film events, first shown in Germany in 1926, and restored by the Center for Visual Music (CVM) in Los Angeles.

Also showing is TERROR NULLIUS by Soda Jerk, a free drop-in film program running across the evenings. ACMI is also collaborating with Melbourne institution Bar SK to present a room of innovative and interactive entertainment focusing on Australian game developers. Bar SK was an iconic Melbourne bar in Collingwood that combined art, videogames, nightlife and a sense of community.

Melbourne, you know what to do.

Art After Dark
Friday 13 - Saturday 14 May,
6pm – 1am both nights

artafterdark.com.au

Presented by Visit Victoria
Produced by The Social Crew

Photos supplied by:
Arts Centre Melbourne - Jason Lau
National Gallery of Victoria
Fed Square - Kyle McDonald
State Library Victoria
ACMI
Melbourne Museum

Under the Surface is a curated public art project comprising of local and internationally renowned artists' works, located along the existing East Gippsland Rail Trail and extending through a selection of villages, hamlets and townships of GunaiKurnai Country.

The project invited local indigenous artists Alice Pepper and Patricia Pittman, to be joined by visiting artists David “MEGGS” Hooke, Ling and Minna Leunig in solo and collaborative works - led by the story of the GunaiKurnai community.

Sites include:
• Nicholson River Bridge, Nicholson. Patricia Pittman
• Partelli's Crossing, Tostaree. Minna Leunig
• Orbost Butter Factory, Orbost. LING
• Nowa Nowa underpass/tunnel. Collaboration between Alice Pepper and Meggs

Each of the artists’ practice focuses on flora, fauna and natural environment and the works subsequently draw attention to the natural environment, assisting in visual storytelling and aiming to connect and grow human relationships with the land through art.

Through a cultural awareness program with the local Gunaikurnai artist collective and community, the visiting artists developed learnings on artistic practices, storytelling, introduction to the local environment and an understanding of land management and preservation. In turn, visiting artists shared their creative skills with locals, encouraging confidence in presenting works at a larger scale, with connection to story. The final result being shared storytelling through public art.

The new work joins existing shelter artworks in Bairnsdale at the beginning of the rail trail by Alfie Hudson, another in Nicholson by local artist Tracey Solomon (see below), and the water tank in Bruthen by Alan Solomon.

Under the Surface follows the route of the former Orbost railway line and passes through a variety of forest and farmland landscapes with snapshot views of the picturesque Gippsland Lakes. The Social Crew conducted onsite research, engaged key community members and groups, and collaborated with GLaWAC and the East Gippsland Rail Trail Committee to design and curate the project in order to better inform the travelling artists of their subject matter and the land on which they stand.

“We are excited to share the beautiful result of conscious collaboration. We took the time to do the project properly, ensuring that the works were led by the story of the Gunaikurnai community. It's a small start to what we hope we will be able to extend across all of GunaiKurnai Country.”
Belinda Collins, Creative Director, The Social Crew.

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WORKS BY

Patricia Pittman
Nicholson River Bridge, Nicholson

Patricia is from the Yuin Nation on the South Coast of New South Wales, but is now settles in Bairnsdale on Gunaikurnai Country in South Eastern Victoria.

The land and sea creatures of her south coast childhood feature in all Patricia's works. A highly prolific artist, this is evident in her distinct style and intricate artistry.

“All my artworks are based on my childhood memories. I usually refer all my artworks to my family’s totems. My mother is my inspiration for drawing goannas, it was her totem as she was of the Kamilaroi Nation from Quirindi NSW. We have grown up around all animals and where we go camping in Bega, goannas are everywhere.

East Gippsland has a strong and proud Aboriginal history dating back many thousands of years.

Our ancestors camped and lived along the Nicholson River, they speared fish from canoes which they made themselves from the trees, there was an ample supply of many fish, such as bream, bass, mullet, and flathead.

The river was a good source of food, this mural represents our ancestor's life on the river, their camps, and where they travelled up and down to different places and you can see the local fish and birds that live along the water.” Patricia Pittman

Minna Leunig
Partelli's Crossing, Tostaree

Minna Leunig is a Geelong based artist working in limited pigments to create playful, primal and earthy images inspired by the natural world - all the way from the dry sclerophyll forests of the Strathbogie ranges to the tangled mangroves and thick rainforests of Cape York. Her work is characterised by a wandering hand and an intuitive lyrical approach to aesthetics.

As well as having exhibited at galleries such as Backwoods, Outré, Juddy Roller, Montsalvat, Neon Parlour and Lamington Drive, Minna has a keen interest in bringing art out of gallery spaces and into the public realm through street art.

“This mural concept is based on stories and references from around Nowa Nowa relating to fish and water as vital elements of life, community and culture.

In and around Nowa Nowa, fishing spots act as community gathering places for family and friends to be together, to be present, to enjoy the tranquillity of nature and practice culture.

This concept depicts abstracted fish, butterflies and various plant species arranged in a flat silhouetted pattern, which will be painted as a scaled up, bold design covering the entirety of the toilet block in Partellis Crossing.” Minna Leunig

Minna has chosen a vivid red and off white so that the piece is lively and striking in the landscape - the idea is that the building itself becomes the artwork.

LING
Orbost Butter Factory, Orbost

Ling is a Melbourne based graffiti / street artist that has been adding colour to his surrounding environment since 2000. Known for producing large-scale murals, Ling looks to combine the aesthetics of traditional graffiti with that of his childhood. The outcome being finished pieces with bold colours and heavy textures that give a nod to his graffiti pedigree whilst showing patience and consideration in application.

“The installation at the Orbost Butter Factory is a reflection of time spent on Gunaikurnai Country. Spending time throughout Gippsland and the Lakes area it’s impossible to escape just how beautiful the landscape is - lush greens and rolling hills contrasting with the burnt reminders of recent bushfires.

As a bookend for the East Gippsland Rail Trail it was important to ensure this was represented in the finished piece and that the mural worked within the existing landscape, complimenting it and providing a preview of things to be seen and experienced on the trail.” LING

To achieve this LING worked with Shanh from Alchemy Orange, a Melbourne based indigenous florist to produce an arrangement which was subsequently photographed and is represented in the final painting.

David “MEGGS” Hooke
Nowa Nowa underpass/tunnel, Nowa Nowa

David ‘MEGGS’ Hooke is a mural, street and fine artist based in Melbourne, recognized for his large scale murals and detailed paintings that combine elements of nature, industry and abstraction to create imagery that evokes a sense of flowing movement and change. His work explores core themes of sustainability, consumerism and duality in an evolving exploration of connectivity and the harmony found between beauty and decay.

MEGGS has exhibited and produced murals within Greater Melbourne, Sydney and Wagga Wagga, as well as internationally, in California, Michigan, Texas, Hawai’i, London, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico and India.

Alice Pepper
Nowa Nowa underpass/tunnel, Nowa Nowa

Alice Pepper is a Gunnai artist with connections to Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Mutti Mutti and Arrernte Peoples, the Aboriginal Community Engagement Coordinator within the Cultural Hub of GunaiKurnai Land and Water Corporation (GLaWAC), and an elected member for Gippsland on the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, which is leading work in the development of a Treaty Negotiations Framework for Victoria.

Alice has a great passion and interest in cultural expression through local stories, songs, language and cultural dance that connects her to her Country & experiments with different mediums, practices, skills and knowledge that has been passed on by elders and cultural specialists.

Alice connects to Country which has natural medicines for her through deep listening on special places on Country, weaving with the grass, making possum skin Cloaks painting the story from Country and singing in language and learning the ancient practices of my ancestors is my way of healing and balancing the mind in the fast paced world we live in.

“On the south entry, a Welcome to Country - a woman and man wear possum skins cloaks as a young boy plays the clapsticks. A smoking ceremony in the Coolamon with gum leaves gently drifts to lead you into the tunnel.

Throughout the tunnel are references to gathering as well as the inclusion of four floating feathers: Borun (Pelican), Tuk (Musk Duck) - the mother & father creators and Djeetgung & Yeering (superb fairy & Emu Wren) - the male and female Totems of the GunnaiKurnai people.

Throughout the tunnel, the colour palette of land and sky and also the hands on the rocks, representing ancestors that have walked for many thousands of years before us.

The North entry features Lomandra, a grass-like plant local to the area, used for weaving baskets for fishing - a traditional method passed down from ancestors.” Alice + Meggs

——

Listen Here

Apple Podcast - Under the Surface
RRR 102.7 FM Smart Artz with Belinda Collins

Acknowledgements.

The project is designed, produced and delivered by The Social Crew. The Social Crew delivered our component probono for the community.

With special thanks to our collaboration with Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, East Gippsland Shire Council, and the East Gippsland Rail Trail Committee.

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government and Victorian State Government.

Press Enquiries
fiona@zillaandbrook.com.au

Project Enquires
hello@thesocialcrew.com.au

Photo credit
Nicole Reed Photography

Film credit
The View From Here with thanks to Visit Gippsland

South Melbourne Market commissioned us to create some fresh ideas to activate the market across Easter that allowed the objectives of increased visitation, longer dwell time and Instagrammable activity to be delivered in a functional and exciting way ideally, that no other Melbourne market has done before.

By teaming up with two of Victoria’s professional providers of child education and play, we created a vibrant, happy and memorable experience for visitors as well as cross-promotional opportunities and Instagrammable moments for the South Melbourne Market.

Geelong’s Museum of Play and Art’s (MoPA) and Playable Streets ‘popped up’ interactive play, art, music and discovery spaces and activities designed especially for kids (and the young at heart), running for 4 days across the Easter period.

Playable Streets’ innovative musical installation ‘The Plants’ invited market-goers to create their own musical compositions using plants. A microcomputer is activated by touching the leaves of the plants, which then triggers sounds created by composer Cayn Borthwick. This wonderful art technology converts touch into music, and creates human connections in public spaces.

The Museum of Play and Arts (MoPA) are a world-class children's museum known for their interactive exhibits and activities that encourage creativity and play-based learning. The program featured arts and crafts of all kinds, including a giant egg for painting and other Easter themed goodies for the fam. The first ever pop-up for MoPA ahead of the opening of their new Sandringham Museum this winter.

It was a pleasure working with the South Melbourne Market to bring new and interesting concepts of education and play to the City of Port Phillip over Easter.

Designed, Curated + Produced by The Social Crew

Special thanks to:
The South Melbourne Market
City of Port Phillip
The Museum of Play and Arts (MoPA)
Playable Streets

This project concept was born during the dark days of lockdown one, 2020 - a time which gave us time to regroup and think of some new concepts which we can contribute to the community.

This particular pilot, looks to develop a new art trail experience in the townships positioned along the rolling hills of South Gippsland.

The existing Dennis Lerversha murals dotted throughout South Gippsland have educated and charmed the region for the past 20 years. We wanted to continue these efforts with a fresh approach to public art curation, connecting visiting artists with the next generation; encouraging community participation and creative learning.

The project aims to not only revive spaces and contribute to place-making, but provide the youth in the townships with an opportunity to learn more about the creative process in idea shaping, and share the mural design process.

The purpose of the project and the murals is to enhance public spaces, expose our youth to a variety of creative practices, engage and excite the arts community and locals in general.

The first stage of the project takes part in the townships of Toora and Korumburra who will welcome two new public art works by renowned artists Kaff-eine, Ghostpatrol and Bonsai, who each have extensive international experience exhibiting in galleries as well as producing large scale murals and public art within communities.

David “Ghostpatrol” Booth in collaboration with Bonsai, connected with Year 9 students of Korumburra Secondary School and drew from local inspiration to develop their design for the mural. The Borough Dept. Store is known for providing a space for local produce, dairy, wine, cakes and flowers - kindly offered its 1930s-era building exterior wall for the mural.

Toora Primary School has actively engaged support for the project to help provide their gym facility with a fresh coat by artist Kaff-eine. Kaff-eine is drawing inspiration from nearby Snake Island; her mural is sure to engage the Toora community in a re-imagining of the cattle muster at low tide presented in her signature stylised characters. As part of the Toora Primary School program, students will participate in a ‘paint by numbers’ project, in turn reinvigorating their existing sports space.

The impact of this project will immediately bring attention to the region and the nature which it surrounds - encouraging cultural tourism, opportunity for talks, workshops, events and provide a sense of community pride.

“I’m really proud to be providing some positivity and colour to my home region, and introducing the kids to some of the worlds best artists.

Whilst we have received some funding to cover artist, photographer and operation costs, to ensure the pilot could happen, The Social Crew personally completed all of our services and expenses pro-bono for the community.

The intention attract further funding which extends the trails across more townships in the South Gippsland region”.
Belinda Collins, Creative Director.

—————————-

DATES + LOCATIONS

Ghostpatrol and Bonsai
Radovick Street, Korumburra
(behind The Borough Dept. Store)

David “Ghostpatrol” Booth first made a name for himself on the walls of Melbourne’s laneways. Working with ephemeral techniques, by 2007 Booth had built an international reputation and fanbase as a street artist. But Booth’s practice, grounded in a passion for drawing and sketching, has always been split between ephemeral works — street-based works, as well as temporary sculptural and installation works — and works on paper and linen. As a result, Booth sees his practice as floating between the worlds of fine art, commercial design, fan service, large mural painting and commercial collaboration.

Bonsai is an artist based on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria. He has used his many years of working as a mural painter together with his love of design, nature and geometry to distill a style that is very much his own. Bonsai’s work knows no bounds - mural painting, illustration, product design, interior design, building design, you name it - he has applied his craft to it and made it his own.

Kaff-eine at Toora Primary School
5 Harriet Street, Toora

Kaff-eine is an Australian artist who makes art, film and social impact projects with communities worldwide, inviting audiences to engage with social and political issues. She has built an international following for her paintings, which include photo realistic portraiture and stylised characters loaded with symbolism and narrative.

————————

The project is designed, curated and produced by The Social Crew.

Supported by South Gippsland Shire Council Community Grants Program, RATCH Australia, Carman’s Kitchen and Resene Paint.

Photos credit: Nicole Reed Photography.

UK born, Melbourne based artist Mysterious Al’s largest exhibition to date; SPOOKHOUSE.

The two part exhibition featured over 70 works integrated within an immersive art experience inside a re-imagined active fairground ghost train and presented within a complimenting pop-up exhibition space.

Set within a vast Collingwood warehouse, SPOOKHOUSE - a 12m long, 4m high set piece containing the ghost train - was a world first concept. To partake in the experience, visitors were invited to climb aboard a rickety cart and journey through a twisting labyrinth of animated characters, paintings, projections and special effects.

Honouring the traditional ghost trains of the 1950s, all the props within the ride were created using traditional materials such as paper mache, UV lights and plywood, combined with more current technologies including sound effects and spin machines. On disembarking, visitors moved to the accompanying pop-up gallery space featuring more of Al’s paintings and paper works.

Mysterious Al’s practice aims to challenge how people interact with art, where and how they see it. Like a Pixar movie, there are often two subtexts.

Across the 10 day period, we saw just shy of 5000 visitors attend the exhibition. This result more than tripled the attendance of Al’s sold out “Blinking into the Sunlight” 2019 show .

Despite the challenges of COVID restrictions and interstate and international tourism at an all time low as a result, visitors attended from Melbourne, surrounding regions and interstate visitation from NSW and QLD. Proving these types of experiences are inclusive and accessible to all, visitors ranged from a few months old up to 80 years old.

Al required our expertise to take this immersive art experience from exhibition to live event. Across 12 months we were engaged to manage location scouting, experience choreography, venue management, marketing, ticketing, staffing and overseeing publicity.

Our publicists generated 61 media hits across the campaign, reaching an average of 2,829,917 people.

Highlights included features in Broadsheet, The Age, Domain Review, Traveller, Time Out and Thrillist.

Other radio interviews with Mysterious Al were placed on ABC Radio Melbourne, Triple R, JOY 94.9 and more.

See the after-movie below.

Artist. Mysterious Al
Creative Event Production by us
Set Build assisted by Callum Preston
Lighting by Clearlight Studios
Prints by MilkBar
Venue provided by HoMie
Publicity by Zilla & Brook

As part of a regional awareness campaign, we were invited to submit an application to bring a creative campaign to the public for the Wall to Wall Festival. Our successful application allowed us to bring the festival to audiences across Australia, and internationally, virtually.

Wall to Wall Festival provides the regional north-east township of Benalla, and its visitors, the chance to see the latest street art offering, painted live during a weekend of creative experiences. The end result provides an ever-changing artistic landscape and now features world-class art across over 80 walls within the township, spilling to the outer villages of Goorambat and Winton Wetlands.

Our Virtual Tour provides visitors with a taste of the street-art experience in Benalla and the small village of Goorambat. Featured in the tour, you’ll find works with associated biographies or audio story from a selection of artists who have painted at Wall to Wall including Callum Preston, Claire Foxton, Danielle Weber, ELLE, George Rose, Loretta Lizzo, Rone and more.

We were engaged to create and produce a virtual tour part of the Vic Together Campaign. Collaborating with one of the world’s leading immersive tech studio, Phoria, we were able to present the works and showcase Benalla as a leader in the street art space.

Phoria spent 3 days in Benalla capturing a catalogue of VR footage using specialised cameras and drones for the bird’s eye view shots of the huge Goorambat silos. Our role providing creative direction, curation, concept development, pre-production and all back and front end requirements to ensure the 360 virtual reality tour

The virtual tour has provided a greater visibility for the Wall to Wall Festival ahead of its return in 2023.

We created some little teaser clips below, however the full tour is available here.

360° Tour developed by Phoria in collaboration with The Social Crew
Photography by Nicasa
Supported by State Government and Regional Arts Victoria

Wall to Wall is a dynamic street art event hosted in the regional town of Benalla, Victoria. It is an immersive festival which brings world-renowned artists to create public murals across Benalla and its surrounding destinations.

In 2020, we joined the team to lead the overall production of the festival including artistic direction, curation (alongside Juddy Roller), event programming, production, marketing, hub-design and all on ground activity.

The 2020 line-up included an Australian artist contingent of Adnate (Mel), Bronte Naylor (New), Celeste Mountjoy (Mel), Dvate (Mel), Elliot Routledge (Syd), Gonketa (Mel), Kaff-eine (Mel), Ling (Mel), Lisa King (Adl/Mel), Mattie Davis (Ben), Meggs (Mel), Mic Porter (Mel), Minna Leunig (Shep), Saltwater Dreamtime (Wol), Sarah McCloskey (Syd) and UK artists Hayley Welsh, Helen Bur, Mimi Leung, Mysterious Al and Smug.

The festival also includes a programme of talks, workshops, virtual and augmented reality, a community paint program and a festival hub with programmed live music across the weekend.

A collaboration with the Benalla Art Gallery and The Social Crew, Wall to Wall Festival presented a feature exhibition, Sofles: Compendium, a retrospective of nearly two-decades of work from one of the most-watched contemporary street artists of his generation, as curated by Juddy Roller. From initial sketches to fully realised artworks, illegal tags to sponsored commissions; the exhibition showcased the life and art of Brisbane artist, Sofles.

Unfortunately the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 sweeping the world the week before we went live.

Creative Direction, Programming + Production by us
Curation by Juddy Roller
Supported by the Wall to Wall Committee

www.walltowallfestival.com

A night of elegance and celebration at the National Gallery of Victoria to honour our client’s achievements on their 10 year anniversary.

As guests entered through the iconic water wall they were greeted with glasses of bubbles whilst gazing in admiration of the monumental bronze sculpture, 'Gone' by KAWs, bathed in purple light - the focal point of the room and point of conversation for many.

Dinner was served in the Great Hall where the floral centrepieces of purple alliums, pink vanda orchids and red anthuriums complimented both the company brand colour and the magnificent mosaic ceiling.

The MC for the night, comedian Dave O'Neil, kept the night flowing and guests laughing, before they were up grooving on the dance floor to sounds of R&B and soul, a nod to the Managing Directors boy band past, whilst sipping on a selection of Cognacs and Armagnacs.

We had the pleasure of working with one of our favourite artists, RONE, on his largest and most ambitious project, EMPIRE. Trusting us to keep our lips sealed, we produced and managed the experience, as Rone and our collaborative team, secretly transformed Burnham Beeches, a 1930s mansion in the Dandenong Ranges, into a world-class street art experience like no other.

Part exhibition, part installation, part VR and AR experience, EMPIRE combines art, vision, sound, light, botanical design and scent to take audiences on a hauntingly immersive multi-sensory journey into a re-imagined past of a faded icon.

No one person could achieve this alone, so RONE assembled an all-star team to truly bring this house to life.

Carly Spooner’s interior styling and immaculate attention to detail included 500 pieces of furniture painstakingly sourced and aged for this project over the space of a year. This included a grand piano that was left outside for weeks and brought back inside moss, leaves and all, and curtains left in a driveway to be run over by a car every day.

Collingwood design studio Loose Leaf supplied organic installations, including a tree that somehow goes through a wall, and floral arrangements perfectly placed to compliment Spooner’s designs.

EMPIRE features four tracks of original music by Nick Batterham, a Melbourne composer. Inspiration was sought from the surrounding area, with Batterham recording birds and trees around the mansion, leaving visitors questioning whether they could hear a recording or real wildlife outside.

Rone required our direction and experience to ensure he could take turn the abandoned house, into an exhibition for the public. Working in secret across a six month period, we organised all the ins and outs to ensure the space was able to be opened, choreographed the experience for visitors, designed a guerilla marketing strategy, established partnerships, managed crew, secured permits and alongside Rone, designed and delivered a fully immersive experience for the public to partake in.

We also worked alongside the ticket providers in Austin, to create a white-label session ticketing system - the first of its kind worldwide for the ticketing agent - allowing guests to purchase a preferred session.

Once announced, the show went viral and sold out by the opening day, some ten 10 days later. In addition to hosting a number of private opening and media events, a private dinner and community and educations days over 26,000 visitors took the 45 minute drive to the Yarra Ranges, across a period of 6 weeks.

Artist Rone
Collaborators.
Event Direction by The Social Crew
Styling by Carly Spooner
Botanics by Loose Leaf
Sound Design by Nick Batterham
Photography by Rone
Plus a long list of awesome people

Watch this Hype Reel
Read this Rone Empire

www.r-o-n-e.com

Award Winning
Driven X Design Awards ‘Antecendent AR Experience’ - CoProducer
The Design Files Awards ‘Collaboration’ - Event Production

Back in February 2018, we were commissioned by Visit Great Ocean Road to develop creative ideas for the celebration of the 100 Years since construction began on the Great Ocean Road, the longest war memorial in the world.

After diving deep into the history of the region and reading the numerous tourism strategies, we established that many visitors were taking the iconic road trip, visiting key locations but not necessarily taking the time to understand or absorb its rich history. Also often missing another key aspect - the road was built by returned serviceman after WWI as part of a return to work program and to commemorate the soldiers lost and is, in fact, the world’s largest war memorial.

We proposed a series of experiences which shared the history of this iconic region from indigenous beginnings, to the current day, with a focus on the serviceman who built the road which has subsequently entice visitors to experience this beautiful part of the country and share with the world. The underlying objective, to encourage locals and tourists, to sit down, slow down and learn a thing or two.

We created a diverse program which celebrated the milestone in a variety of ways meticulously designing a program which encompassed film, music, art, design and augmented reality by encouraging visitors to enjoy a story trail, however they wished to engage. Following the celebrations, whilst some of our activations were temporary, we wanted to be sure to leave a trail and legacy behind.

We invited our collaborators to join us in telling the story by producing a new film ‘The Story of the Road’ to launch the celebration - a half hour documentary which explores the rich history of the 243km coastline and uncover the harsh reality of life for those constructing the road launched as within a screening experience at Lorne Theatre and Apollo Bay's Mechanics Hall.

Plus to ensure visitors could partake in an experience during the celebrations - drawing on the nature of human curiosity, we also created, designed, styled and built five art-deco inspired pop-up cinemas which incorporated short-films and subsequently a live experience of story discovery plus ensuring the story lives on beyond the event - bespoke installations which encompass a curated art piece and tell stories through QR points activating augmented reality experiences along a trail.

The story experiences capture the history of the road and create a deeper connection for visitors and locals alike, encouraging awareness and future generations to better appreciate what the road means to Victoria.

An overview of each concept is linked below.

Watch this HYPE REEL

THE DOCUMENTARY + SCREENING
A night at the flicks

Our collaborative filmmakers take you on a journey of the construction of the Great Ocean Road, removing the layers of myth surrounding the lives of the Indigenous Australians, women and ex-soldiers who built it.

Established in the 1930s to meet the demand of tourism as a result of completion of the Great Ocean Road, The Lorne Theatre with its original finishes include terrazzo floors, geometrically patterned ceiling panels, original seating and lighting fixtures, was the ideal venues for the documentary launch and exclusive preview screenings within the region. Open in 1937, it is one of the few remaining early single-screen movie houses left in country Victoria.

Whilst viewing the documentary, guests were be exported back to the 30s, encouraged to dress for the occasion. The special film event was complimented by music from swing band The Sugarfoot Ramblers, vintage treats and guests may enjoy a French 75 by Great Ocean Road Gin and specially brewed 1920s beer recipe from local brewery Prickly Moses, in a special night at the flicks.

The documentary was screened on SBS Friday 24 April 2020.

For information on other IAM100 program elements follow the links below:

THE POP-UPS - Share our Stories
PUBLIC ART, REFLECTION + AUGMENTED REALITY - The story lives on

Part of the Great Ocean Road Project.

To ensure visitors could partake in an experience during the anniversary, drawing on the nature of human curiosity, we created a progressive cinema trail by converting five 20 foot shipping containers into pop-up cinema experiences. To complete the series, visitors were encouraged to journey the length of the road, peer behind the curtains of each immersive cinema and enjoy an intimate viewing of the successive mini-series.

Each cinema interior was inspired by the art-deco interiors of the 1920s and 30s, the era of the road's creation. The public installations provided a unique immersive experience which ensured as the curtains closed, visitors were completely encapsulated in an environment reflective of the era, whilst taking in the history of the region by viewing a short film about the township within which it was placed - be it Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne, Wye River or Apollo Bay.

We designed each public installation to draw from core aspects of the era including style, colour and in consideration of the potential availability of secondhand goods from the early 20th century.

Four 20ft containers and one petite 10ft with interior concepts including art deco cinemas, a traditional lounge, speakeasy bar and a library/cigar room. Intrinsically styled, each public installation carefully considered features relevant to the era including wallpaper, furniture and iconic antique pieces such as tea trolleys, bevelled mirrors and club lounges.

Furnishings, fabrics and ornaments were sourced secondhand from across the state. Key pieces included refurbished cinema seating from Woodend cinema, velvet theatre curtains from the stages of the Palais and Regent, Crystal chandeliers, velvet chaise lounges and keepsakes including WWI newsletters and trinkets.

The publicly installed cinemas provided an opportunity to enable future generations to better appreciate what the area means to Victoria, and Australia’s history.

Over 14,000 visits were recorded and the visitation increased along the smaller towns for Great Ocean Road as the difference between the public installations - encouraged attendees to stop at all five locations. An unexpected amount of local community also attended, generating a feeling of community pride.

Creative Direction + Production by us
Interior Design + Styling by us

Collaborators.
Construction by Supa Dupa Industries
Short films by Clothesline Content
Artwork by Callum Preston
Photography by Nicole Reed

Commissioned by Great Ocean Road Tourism.

Across the 243km journey of The Great Ocean Road, visitors now have opportunity to view an QR Trail which, at key points of interest, activates a visual story about the regions history from indigenous beginnings to today.

Part of the wider Great Ocean Road project, our intention was to encourage visitors to explore a story trail long beyond the lifetime of the event.

After conducting extensive location research, The Social Crew engaged an animation team led by Alexander Hare to create animations, together with EyeJack to facilitate the App. Film studio Clothesline Content created short stories from local community to provide a real time narrative to the vision.

The integrated trail combines augmented reality, film, stories and can be viewed from Torquay to Apollo Bay.

A selection of the QR / AR sites were accompanied by circular reflection seats, encouraging visitors to sit down, slow down and reflect. These seats were painted by talented local artists including:

Torquay + Anglesea - Norm Stanley
Lorne + Kennett River - Sisca Verwoert
Wye River + Apollo Bay - Karlijn Sas

Watch this: AR Animations

Creative Direction + Concept by us
App, Animation + Illustrations by EyeJack
Feature Seating Designed and Built by Supa Dupa Industries

Commissioned by Great Ocean Road Tourism.
Funded by Visit Victoria.

A cold winter's night, a beer festival and a pig farm. This show is one of our favourite gigs.

True to their name, Mountain Goat's ‘Cans and Bands at the Farm’ take on winter head first, embracing the cold, positioning themselves steadily as hosts of one of Melbourne’s most unique music offerings.

Held at Collingwood Children's Farm annually, the gig does what it says on the box. After the cow is milked and the guinea pigs are fed, we convert the pig pen into the ultimate punk venue for an intimate crowd of 200.

We’ve been programming and producing the show for a few years now, and it’s been a banger every. single. time. Who said winter was boring.

2016 Even with Davey Lane
2017 The Peep Tempel with Wet Lips
2018 Cable Ties with Parsnip
2019 Loose Tooth with Shrimpwitch
2020 Postponed due to Covid for now.

A collaboration between The Social Crew + This Much Talent.
Photography by Nicole Reed

We had the pleasure of launching the very new & very fabulous Australian College of the Arts - Collarts. Collingwood Campus, a specialist college for the creative sector.

Inspired by a quote by Henri Matisse "Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play" we added a touch of fun, bursts of colour, and turned up the volume (even louder than normal)!

Invited to share the evening, teachers, creative industry and alumni enjoyed delicious catering by the ever fabulous team of Fred and Ginger Catering, topping up glasses with Pommery champagne and local organic craft brewery, Mountain Goat for the celebrations.

Classrooms we transformed for student showcases, a shop popped up in the library, PBS 106.7 FMs MzRizk took care of the beats, guests got stuck into custom-designed dessert Bowie cake-pops, we added bright and beautiful blooms and dropped in some campus tours for good measure.

After viewing a clip of a showcasing student artist, Toyah Hoeztel’s set at Gay Times 2018, we knew just how to shine a light (or strobe) on this up and coming producer. Lights went off in the theatrette and switched them to ‘Discotheque’. Drawing on the metallic goodness of the 80s, we custom built a stage set which featured reflective mylar panels up-lit with pinks and purple spots, strung linear triangle shapes beaming a black UV light to highlight the angles, and we achieved the psychedelic glow we were after.

A stage set influenced by New York’s summer concert staple, WarmUp PS1 by MoMA, hand-inked hot pink paper diamonds, sourced direct from Philadelphia (gap in the market people!), teamed with 1.8m slices of blue neon perspex added and a simple yet dynamic hanging drop for student performer, MoLouie.

The main reception area, normally the student ‘hang’ space, was dressed with a metallic, pearl balloon installation, metallic curtains (cant get enough), electric blues and bright florals and a spot of branding inspiring all to Create It, Love it, Do it.

Creative Direction + Production by us
Stage + Set by us

Collaborators/
Photography by Nicasa
BTS Photography by Collarts

Watch this After Movie
Read this Forte Magazine Feature

Australia’s no1 show about startup culture, That Startup Show, is an award winning live/online TV series focusing on the entrepreneurial boom.

Their recent move to the "Goods Shed" meant their existing set was no more. Est. in 1889 as a huge railway freight shed, the shed housed a system of lightweight wrought-iron roof trusses, heavy cast-iron columns and brick outer walls to house freight.

Our brief was to create and re-build the audience event area and creative elements of the original That Start-Up Show's pop-up studio, add custom elements and enhance the lighting, and consider the aesthetics of the building.

We called in builders SupaDupa Industries, who share a common interest in recycling, repairing and affordability in construction, to work with us to build the custom elements including a light box illuminated desk, a pitch ring, and a custom designed, cost effective bar which reflected the history of the building in which their pop-up TV studio is now produced. Add lighting designers, John Fish, to the mix and the custom elements, studio set and the surrounds of the space shone a light on the show (excuse the pun) - we also turned on a little hazer to set the mood.

We kicked off the StartUp Season, and officially launched the building as guests got stuck into Espresso Martinis.

Watch this Episode 1

Set Design by That StartUp Show.
Event Production by The Social Crew
Build by Supa Dupa Industries
Lighting by John Fish

Besser Space is not-for-profit gallery and event space which hosted creative events and art in a variety of forms. We like pop-ups that celebrate local talent.

A collab project between the boss ladies of The Social Crew, This Much Talent and Flock Agency the space aimed to provide artists with an affordable space to hire, allowing artists to exhibit within a creative and supportive space.

Across a span of three years, the space hosted local and internationally renowned artists, photographers and fashion designers including artists, agencies and galleries:

Anastasia Le Fey, Bec Hudson, Benjamin Rigby, Caleb Reid, Deams, Luke Cornish (ELK), Kaff-eine, Jacob Hoerner Galleries, Jeremy Blinco, Julian Meagher, Just Another Agency, Katie Eraser, Lucy Lucy, Niko, Reko Rennie, Robert Bowers, Robert Fielding, Shida, Slicer, Thom Rigney, Unwell Bunny, Zo Damage

and nice people including:

HoMie, Sea Shepard, Sofar Sounds, Sony, Vic College of the Arts many more...

*Unfortunately due to the changing landscape of Collingwood, we closed the space in 2018. Stay tuned for the next edition.

St Kilda's Windana Drug and Rehabilitation Centre works tirelessly for the greater good of the community and its people. We were very excited to host a breakfast launch which celebrates the very first "Welcome House" in Australia - an extensive treatment program which provides a holistic approach to therapy and treatment, with proven results.

We selected fellow not-for-profit, gallery space Arc One, as the launch venue - brightened up with an exclusive preview exhibition by one of Australia's most celebrated artists, Robert Owen.

The artwork was complemented by beautifully simple table arrangements and two feature floral installations complete with proteas, eucalyptus, Australian natives, and soft hues of purple with a touch of yellow to marry the feature wall and reflect on the nature of the new facility in Maryknoll.

The morning was hosted by MC Brian Nankervis, as guests tucked into the divine brekkie by Cumulus, international guest speaker, David Brockett of Belgium, outlined how the facilities are beneficial to all and talked stats on results.

After spending a few months preparing the festival socially, we headed west for our first time Grampians Music Festival to the third edition of the festival. A boutique festival experience, surrounded by lush mountains where guests enjoyed stunning sets by an all-star local lineup including Sampa The Great, Angie McMahon, Wafia and Slum Sociable.

In the months leading up to the festival we worked our magic on socials, creating sweet simple artwork which incorporated the festivals logo - a representation of sound waves and the Grampians mountain tops.

GMF has a big focus being eco-friendly and the punters took on the challenge to do their part too. Everyone brought their own refillable water bottle to minimise waste and there was a station to read about the impact our behaviour at home has on the environment. Simple changes like banning single use plastic can easily be achieved by larger festivals too, and we’re sure it won’t be long until this becomes the norm in the industry.

Alice Skye was the perfect choice to open the festival, setting the mood nicely with her calming tunes echoing around the Valley Floor. GMF is a family-friendly festival, and electronic up-and-comers Huntly were a hands-down favourite amongst the young ones. They had every kid dancing at the front and even sharing some of the singing.

The undeniable highlight of the weekend was Sampa the Great, who headlined Saturday night with her full live band and dancers. The show stopping set had an amazing response, everyone clearly stunned by Sampa’s enormous stage presence. While we take live music for granted, a festival like this is rare for a place like the Grampians, so it was touching to consider the fact that this would be many kids’ first experiences of live music.

Photos by Monique Pizzica

White Night Melbourne is the city reimagined and transformed under the ephemeral cloak of night.

With attendance of up to 450,000 for one night only, from dusk ‘til dawn, national and international artists, musicians and performers set the city’s streets, parklands, laneways, public spaces and cultural institutions alight in a celebration of creativity.

We have managed onsite production in 2014-15, 2017-18 (one of just eight senior staff and often representing the ladies) and have had the opportunity to work with some of the best large-scale projections and motion graphics designers in the world.

Collaborating with skilled professionals to ensure a smooth running showcase of projection mapping, multi-media displays, interactive installations, VR, kinetic structures and technical expertise.

Our final production with the White Night team was with major installations for motion designers and mappers, Artists in Motion, Eness' interactive sonic bubble, Alex Sansons kinetic sculpture Nebulous and Mad Max fire instrument played and Burning Man fave, Pyrophone Juggernaut.

Production highlights across the years include:

Sofles Graffiti Mapped by Juddy Roller
Wonderland at The State Library
Rhythms of the Night projections by Artists in Motion
Sonic Light Bubble by Eness Studios
Uki the Kinetic Bug

The final Festival of Live Art (FOLA) ran from 13 – 25 March 2018. FOLA was presented by Arts House, Footscray Community Arts Centre and Theatre Works. FOLA’s three iterations in 2014, 2016 and 2018 took curious audiences on a journey through experimental, participatory and interactive arts.

Live art happens as encounters between artists and audiences. This festival did not disappoint.

On this occasion we were commissioned to oversee the marketing and social media for the project. Working with designer Mike Gliesser we created a series of assets that smacked you in the face with hot hot hot pink.

Read Zilla and Brook’s overview of the Festival here.

Pause is Australia's premier creative, tech and business event. Held across five sites at FedSquare for 3 days, plus a retreat down the Great Ocean Road, Pause is a catalyst for change, a uniter of all industries, and a platform for the future, bringing the world’s foremost thought leaders like Airbnb, NASA, Netflix, Who Gives a Crap, Fast Company, Girls in Tech, This American Life, SXSW, Pixar and Canva together with local heroes, for one unforgettably action-packed event.

From designing the event aesthetic, establishing the world's first NFC chipped attendees, implementing a corresponding ticketing system, navigating travel and accommodation for speakers across the globe and hooking up our client with fantastic partnerships such as Mountain Goat, Noisy Ritual, Starward Whisky, QT Hotel, Dann Event Hire, WeWork + more, as the creative production agency for the event, not only did we run every aspect of the conference itself, including activating brands such as Xero and IBM, creating a chill space complete with Billy Van Creamy and Wide Open Road, but we extended this years program to bring a series of sensational parties and side-events.

The 2018 program extended to include an Opening Party, plus a slew of smashing events including private event and SXSW meet at Mountain Goat Brewery, a fancy dinner at Pascale Bar and Grill at boutique venue at QT Hotel, a breakfast with views from Taxi Kitchen and a pumping party at Chapter House with DJ MzRizk, Cool Out Sun and an exclusive VR performance by comic artist and interactive designer, Sutu, creator of EyeJack.

Across a period of 4 days, our studio led the way, smashing the event out of the ball park, setting the standard for the future.

Watch this Hype Reel + After Movie

www.pausefest.com.au

In association with Melbourne Festival and Monash University, Under the Wire Projections and Sounds was a free public event of moving images and music, curated by James Hewison, Head of Film Programs at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

An addition to the projections and sounds, we popped up a Hub and curated a pulsating program of live music, in a local line of of new comers Alice Ivy, SAATSUMA, OCDANTAR and Mona Gene.

With a theme of construction to de-construction in various forms, we took advantage of the collision of architectural style of the site, skinned some shipping containers for the delicious flavours of MJR Tom, installed screens and speakers, together with some wild LED panels, built wire structures and plonked ourselves amongst the undergoing construction at the Campus, which subsequently formed a stage and the backdrop for a series of projections and sound.

The film program featured the likes of Amiel Courtin-Wilson, surprising documentary filmmaker; Rick Charnoski, a master of the Super 8mm; and the poet of cinematic decay, Bill Morrison.

We thought we would leave it to Michael Dwyer to tell you how our Production at this year's Hall of Fame went. What. A. Show. Super proud of this one. Our Mums loved it too :)

Article printed in The Age by Michael Dwyer, The Palais Theatre, November 20.

“John Farnham sings the school pants off AC/DC..”

There is a happy place where John Farnham and AC/DC are equal in the eyes of God. One of them had a bigger gig to play on the night of their welcome to The Age Music Victoria Hall of Fame, but Angus Young sent a nice note from Adelaide and Farnesy sang the school pants off It's a Long Way to the Top.

That's the way these lifetime honours shows roll: classic memories, absent friends, curious contrasts and always, always a big sing-along finale. Eventually.

You couldn't say RocKwiz ringmaster Brian Nankervis didn't give his all to keep things moving. He went from zero to Mick Jagger in sixty seconds as he whipped the stalls into an all-handclapping Acca Dacca overture.

Vika Bull and Kingswood's Fergus Linacre did a cracking job of Highway to Hell, too. Angie Hart sang a winsome version of inductee Olivia Newton John's A Little More Love, as our Countdown sweetheart accepted her statue from Barry Gibb — Barry Gibb! — in a video from Los Angeles.

With his mate Paul Kelly playing harmonica, inductee Archie Roach represented himself, and so much more. A mighty surge of affection and, yes, gratitude greeted a simmering performance of his landmark ballad, Took the Children Away.

Funny, pithy and passionate, Jack Charles' induction of his old friend was the salvation of the evening's inevitably overlong speechifying.

No less evocative of our very long, strange history, the Seekers were remembered in terms of mother country triumphs and royal honours. Kate Ceberano sang for them with pride and gusto, though the harmony that melted our hearts was relegated to a poignant memory on this occasion.

Another giant from the '60s and '70s, Brian Cad gleefully fronted to tickle his own ivories. Virtually a royal presence himself under a great swathe of white hair, he commanded that every one of us take joint credit for the chorus of A Little Ray of Sunshine, magically ensuring the moment transcended the good old days.

Rock history seemed to grow longer still with tributes to the Thunderbirds, the Sunbury Festival, DJ Stan Rofe, record producer Bill Armstrong and the Palais Theatre itself, which was inducted into the mythic Hall in a hammy short film starring Tex Perkins.

And still not a whisper from Jack. That was left for Act Two, the exclusive domain of the perfect storm of relentless showbiz grit, undiminished lung-power and Aussie household hits that is John Farnham. His inductor, Sony CEO Denis Handlin, acknowledged that the word "legend" is overused in rock'n'roll, then raised it to "icon" and named You're the Voice our "unofficial national anthem".

Anything less than an iconic legend might have found that a hard pitch to follow. But when Farnham and his slick Vegas-styled ensemble finally drove the anthem home, it felt official enough to draw the patient audience to its feet and stay there for the surely unprecedented thrill of hearing two bagpipe-rock songs in a row. If only Angus could have been here to see it.

Watch this After Movie

Music Victoria represents musicians, venues, music businesses and professionals, and music lovers across the contemporary Victorian music community providing advocacy on behalf of the music sector, actively supporting the development of the Victorian music community, and celebrates and promotes Victorian music.

From 2014 - 2018, Belinda collaborated closely with Music Victoria specifically in marketing and production - to deliver strategies, develop marketing practices, guide Music Victoria’s membership - including develop their online marketing portal and membership offering, establish their online marketing and deliver expert production for the annual awards event, so that in time, as their business and community grew, the services could be ran in-house.

The Music Victoria Awards are an annual Awards night celebrating Victorian music.

Belinda was commissioned to assist Music Victoria in building the awards model to evolve to a more contemporary offering, ensuring there was more visibility and support for the musical talent in Victoria. We’re incredibly proud of our involvement with making changes to the programming, lifting the presentation of the production, co-programming, development of event partnerships, develop a trainee and music graduate program with Collarts, increased exposure of industry support, develop industry relationships and in time, build to a more diverse awards event.

The awards evolved into a bigger and more diverse offering, with a diligent judging process, expanded categories, and a partnership offering which benefits recipients and nominees.

Now with an established structure and well oiled production plan, Music Victoria now produce the awards with their in-house team at the Arts Centre.

Highlights from 2014 - 2018 include:

Production / Programming Highlights: Benny Walker, Briggs, Camp Cope, Courtney Barnett, Dan Sultan, Jess Cornelius, Harvey Sutherland, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The Peep Tempel, Remi, The Teskey Brothers + many more.

Production Hall of Fame feat. John Farnham, Kingswood, Angie Hart + more
Hall of Fame Music Exhibition Installation at the Arts Centre

Sell out shows for 2014 - 2017 Awards program leading to the need to shift to a higher capacity venue.

Development of supportive awards program for recipients and nominees

Establish new and grow existing partnerships with Bakehouse Studios, City of Melbourne/Melbourne Music Week, CollArts, Crumpler, EventBrite, Green Music Australia, Mountain Goat, PBS 106.7 FM, Triple R, Virgin + Qantas Airlines (Travel Beyond), Support Act.

Mentor, train and coach production assistants Chloe Turner and Laura Imbruglia

Successfully increased online social media presence to over 20,000 across all social channels including growth of the membership offering from six benefits to over 40 including development of an online membership portal.

Development of presentations for the CEO for international industry events including Music Cities Convention, Canada and The Great Escape, Brighton UK.

Watch this 2015 , 2016 + 2017

When Crumpler came to us with a brief to launch their product after nabbing the gig as official luggage supplier for the 2016 Australian Olympic Team, we knew exactly what not to do - your everyday Olympic launch. After all, the inspiration for Crumpler’s beginnings were born when a bloke couldn’t find a bag that let him cycle home with a slab of beer!

Crumpler make strong, long-lasting, quality bags that you can be sure will outlive you. Similar to that of a high performance athlete; once an Olympian, always an Olympian.

Our aim was to align Crumpler with high performance and provide a friendly, fun and welcoming environment for our clients to show their worthiness of joining the AOC supporter family. We wanted to introduce guests and media to the luggage, but also have a laugh.

An audio soundscape of historic Olympic commentary drew guests into the cobbled Melbourne laneway. As they entered the venue via a purpose built run track, there was no escaping the visibility of the designer luggage displayed on our 4ft high media wall. We even tracked down luggage from as far back as ‘64, and created an art installation complete with travel stories from the Olympians that told their journey of the corresponding Games.

The launch, also marking 100 days to go, was hosted by Channel 7 personality Nathan Pemberton, who spoke to Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller and Crumpler CEO, Tom Pemberton about the new partnership and pointed out how sharp our athletes will look in their complete kit for Rio 2016.

Rookies Shelley Watts (boxing), Belinda Hocking (swimming), Rachel Jarry (basketball), Alex Hartmann (athletics), Melissa Tapper (table tennis) and Olympic legend, Dawn Fraser fielded questions from a room full of media as guests got stuck into the delicious Aussie Tucker menu, especially designed by Fred and Ginger Catering. 120 guests enjoyed house made damper with QLD blue pumpkin puree & pepitas; mini potato cakes with beetroot jam and Meredith goats fetta; classic egg and bacon pies; lemon myrtle lamington bites and kangaroo sausage rolls with rainforest seasoning. Canapés fit for Olympians.

Watch this After Movie

The typical office Christmas Party can be a completely miserable and sad event. Something we can promise you, the events we will bring you, are absolutely not those sad ones with an awkward Kris Kringle.

The incredible people of Seek Ltd and Dorevitch Pathology throw a banger at the Royal Showgrounds each year as a very, very nice thing to do for their staff. It’s impressive. Dodgem cars, rides, basketball, food trucks, lolly stations, Bertie Beetle show bags (personal fave). You can see why they have been voted Best Employers of the Year.

Each year, we curate the entertainment programs and by doing so, we support our local music scene, introducing home grown talent, and we have a knack for getting them at the right time before they sign overseas labels or go on tour!

Acts have included: Alice Ivy, The Cactus Channel, The Dianas, Jade Imagine, Merpire and Mighty Duke & The Lords.

The Social Crew created, curated and presented the Spiegletent Series. A series of shows held during Leaps and Bounds Music Festival under the glorious roof of the Melba Spiegletent, Collingwood.

Built in Belgium in 1910, the Melba travelled across Europe and saw numerous performances through its bevelled doors, including Edith Piaf and Kurt Weil. In 2006 it travelled to Australia and was renamed after Australia's fabulous opera soprano, Dame Nellie Melba.

The first ever music series to be hosted under the Melba roof, the shows series showcased a selection of artists from genres including:

Graveyard Train
Oh Mercy
MoJo JuJu
Stella Angelico