2014–2021 · artistic · pedagogy

Backbone Youth Arts

Seven years leading a youth arts company, from rebuilding the 2high Festival to a full annual festival.

Five aerialists hang in a line from a steel truss high against a clear blue sky. — Babel, East Brisbane Bowls Club, 2019. Strings Attached with Younes Bachir. Photo: to confirm.

Aerialists in a spiral on ropes beneath the truss, seen from below. — Babel, 2019. Photo: to confirm.

Aerialists hang from a crane over a huge white banner above the bowls club roof at dusk. — Babel, 2019. Photo: to confirm.

A mobile crane lifts the rig over the bowling green while a crowd gathers in the afternoon sun. — Rigging Babel, 2019. Photo: to confirm.

My role: Artistic Director and CEO
Where: The Old Museum · East Brisbane Bowls Club, Mowbray Park · Toowong Cemetery · La Boite · Manchester and London, UK
With: Artists including Strings Attached and Younes Bachir, Jeremy Neale, Jeffrey Tan and The Danger Ensemble
Class No.: 320 Politics 060 Organizations 700.79 Arts festivals, awards & financial support 707 Arts education & research 792 Stage presentations

I led Backbone for seven years. The company rebuilt around the 2high Festival in 2015, moved into the East Brisbane Bowls Club in 2016, and ran a full annual festival from 2017. Work included Babel, an outdoor performance with aerialists flown from a mobile crane over the bowling greens; Their Name Liveth For Evermore at Toowong Cemetery; and international residencies in Manchester and London. I first came to Backbone at 13.

Behind the work

The money: More than A$2 million secured over seven years, from Arts Queensland, Brisbane City Council and the Australia Council (now Creative Australia), among others.
The job: Growing the budget and staff, reporting to all three levels of government and the ACNC, and preparing for annual external audits.
During COVID: Keeping artists employed.

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