RJAFTA 2021 Finalists Announced!
Congratulations to our 7 finalists in the Robert Juniper Award for the Arts 2021. Each finalist is vying for the opportunity to be awarded a scholarship of up to $10,000, to assist in funding a designated project. Clockwise from top left: Bianca Walter (visual artist), Hayley Whisson (actor/writer/producer), Jo Meredith (visual artist), Briony Bray (photographer and artist), Michael Day (songwriter, musician), Ben Bulla (musician), Finn Owen (photographer, musician). While they await the decision of the Adjudicators, r
ead more about these extraordinarily talented individuals below (in no particular order).
BEN BULLA, MUSICIAN
Musician Ben Bulla studied for 2 years at WAAPA, attaining an Advanced Diploma of Music Industry. Bulla is a multi-talented musician, and is adept in stage design, production, and presentation, as well as musical performance. He has performed many recitals and gigs, including at the Ellington Jazz Club, the ECU Ball at Optus Stadium, Bunnuru Festival at Yagan Square, the Mundaring Folk and Blues Club, 40th Outer National Reggae Festival, and is a regular performer - either solo or with the band Rubaclava - at Juniper Galleries opening exhibitions. Bulla says “I live to play live music. The rush I get when I hit the first note is indescribable - more powerful than any drug on the planet. I particularly love to play music that is fast and energetic, stuff like salsa music or fast thrash metal. As long as it’s upbeat and I have a crowd to bounce off of, I’ll be satisfied.” Bulla has worked with professional musician Scott Brantley, Bulla’s RJAFTA application proposed project involves a concept light show and specifically built stage art to enhance a band performance.
BIANCA WALTER, VISUAL ARTIST
Growing up near Mundaring Weir provided artist Bianca Walter with the opportunity to embrace space and nature. After graduating from Eastern Hills Senior High School 17 years ago Walter started studying Visual Arts at Perth Metropolitan Tafe, but 6 months into the course she had to cease her studies. Walter’s passion for drawing and painting remained with her and she has spent the past 17 years drawing and painting friends and family members, participating in small exhibitions, and continually honing her skills. Walter explains, “My inspiration is derived from the human form, where I love to capture a certain look, or moment in time. I want there to be a feeling or energy about the finished piece that can be seen and felt by others. I love seeing someone’s face light up when I hand them a portrait of themselves or someone they love - that’s when I know I have captured the essence of that person through what I have created, and that is such an honour and an amazing feeling. That’s when I know this is what I should be doing.” Walter has personal art mentoring sessions with a professional artist, with a focus on developing her skills further in all aspects of painting and portraiture, with an emphasis on using oil paints as the medium. Walter’s proposed RJAFTA project is to push the limits of her comfort zone and move away from producing realistic portraits in graphite pencils, and explore new mediums and styles to produce bold and colourful artworks. Walter would use the scholarship funds to enrol in a course with the Milan Art Institute, culminating in a solo exhibition at the completion of the course.
BRIONY BRAY, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ARTIST
Soon to graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce with a Major in Management and a second Major in History of Art, Briony Bray has grown up immersed in a creative community. “I am inspired every day to further my own artistic practice, as well as support the creatives that I am surrounded by. Growing up in an arts-filled household with an extremely talented mum (artist Leanne Bray), my life has always been centred around the arts. The arts drive me, provides my life with purpose, and has led to such amazing connections with people over the years.” Bray established Corrugated Gallery in 2019 to promote the arts in Perth through art blogs, and she created and documented a Perth Public Art Trail which she ran on the website (corrugatedgallery.com) . Bray’s proposed RJAFTA project involves curating a collective of photography artists (both emerging and professional) who will capture and present iconic landscapes, life underwater, intimate portraits of wildlife, and capture the urban heart of Perth. Bray aims to develop her key skills in arts management and curating, and to also build on her own artistic practice as a photographer and an artist
JO MEREDITH, VISUAL ARTIST
Artist and curator Jo Meredith graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UWA in 2008. Since then she has studied portraiture at Charles Cecil Studio in Florence and also at Sarum Studio in Salisbury UK; pigment development at the Courtauld Institute in London; Turner techniques and mastery at Mountford Granary Art School in Tasmania; and professional art development, also at Mountford Granary Art School. With two successful solo exhibitions to date, several group exhibitions, and an annual participant in the Mundaring Hills Open Studios initiative, Meredith continues to develop her skills. “I am an early career figurative artist; I paint people, beach dogs, and WA landscapes in oils. All my works are a celebration of life.” Meredith spent August 2021 painting, swimming, and hiking in the Kimberley region, finding inspiration in the vastness of the region. “The scale of the Kimberleys is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. You become aware of yourself as a tiny part of the cosmos, yet deeply connected to everything. I fell in love with the land: the colours, heat, and stark contrast of harsh dry stretches of desert with dramatic rock formations and powerful life-giving waterways.” Meredith continues “I want to create works and an exhibition experience that invites viewers to feel the awe and joy of connecting with WA’s North". Meredith’s proposed RJAFTA project involves creating an immersive exhibition centred on 8 major large-scale paintings of the Kimberley region. The exhibition would be curated to envelop the viewers, creating a pathway through the paintings that emulates Meredith’s experience of discovering these Northern landscapes.
Visit www.jomeredithart.com.au
FINN OWEN, PHOTOGRAPHER & MUSICIAN
As an aspiring musician and photographer, Finn Owen has spent a lot of time viewing the world through the visual and audible realms around him. “I feel inspired by photographers, musicians, writers and other creatives who came before me, as well as my friends and family,” Owen explains. “I have always felt a strong connection to the arts, whether it be visual, literary or music. I love all things creative. Constructing beautiful and thought-provoking works is the driving force of my life.” In 2018 Owen completed the first year of a Bachelor of Jazz at WAAPA. He was a member of the Kalamunda Youth Swing Band for six years, and in the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra for two years. Owen remains passionate about music, and continues to actively participate in the Perth music scene. Having discovered photography in high school, Owen has done shoots and video work for live music events, portraiture, lifestyle, and fundraisers (such as the Path of Hope Gala 2021). Owen is presently completing an Advanced Diploma of Photography at North Metropolitan TAFE (due to graduate in December this year). Owen’s proposed project for the RJAFTA 2021 is to produce a fine art abstract landscape photography book and exhibition, entitled The Emotive Landscape. The exhibition will be a showcase of Owen’s book and prints, and incorporate improvisational music and literature in response to the images.
MICHAEL DAY, SONGWRITER & MUSICIAN
Michael Day is a 2015 graduate of WAAPA, attaining a Bachelor of Education Major in Contemporary Music (Guitar). Since 2017 Day has been dedicated to developing his song writing abilities, and honing his production skills (recording, mixing and mastering). Day explains “I am a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and performing/recording artist with a 4 piece band. I create music on the guitar in the alternative Folk genre, inspired by questions about the world, it’s beauty, and my own struggles. I see every move I make as a musician a part of a long term plan to build a catalogue of music of a high quality” s. To realise this ambition involves networking, syncing licensing deals for movies and television, publishing songs, and releasing high production music regularly. Day’s song Storm was recently nominated for the West Australian Music Awards and Day and his band performed it live on The Scene (listen HERE). With 7 singles having been released since May 2020 (available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other streaming channels) Day’s music has ben played on Triple J, RTR, Adrian’s Attic, Radio Adelaide, The Big Aussie Breakfast and more. Michael Day and his band will perform at Gidgestock in October, Blues at Bridgetown in November, and Bali Fest in Mandurah. Day’s proposed RJAFTA project is to create and launch a six track EP to be released on all digital streaming services, produce two music videos, and culminate in a single launch. The project also involves a staggered process strategy on Spotify, to bolster streams and consistency of listeners. The ulitimate aim is to have a high quality product to use for marketing purposes, and to expand Day’s profile on a national and international platform.
You can find links to Michael Day Music on various platforms HERE
HAYLEE WHISSON, ACTOR/SCRIPTWRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/ARTIST
A former Duke of Edinburgh award recipient, and a graduate from the United World College program (India), Haylee Whisson completed a Bachelor of Performing Arts at WAAPA in 2019. Whisson followed this by undertaking a Graduate Certificate of Digital Marketing at Curtin University, which she is presently still studying. Whisson explains “I am a writer, actor and emerging theatre maker from the Perth Hills who is fascinated with creating original, inventive theatre that pushes the possibilities of form and what can happen when different artistic disciplines collide onstage to tell insightful, relevant stories. I have skills in producing works from their conceptualization to completion; collaborating with a wide-range of creatives and technicians to facilitate the merging of disciplines and ideas.” Whisson has written, performed and produced several plays since 2015, and collaborated as either a performer or writer (or both) on many more. She has studied play-writing, directing, acting, and has worked both on stage and off-stage on many projects. This year saw Whisson as writer/devisor/performer for the production Hair at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia. At aged 19, Whisson founded Onset Theatre Company to create a show for the 2017 Perth Fringeworld Season. She wrote and produced Onset, which explored themes of mental health in adolescence. Today Whisson’s company produces shows for Perth stages. In 2020 Whisson co-founded theatre company Lady Business Productions , an unapologetic female-focused theatre company. “I am drawn to work that responds to repercussions that socio-political events have on our mental health. I strive to make work that responds to current themes and issues with a sarcastic sense of Australian humour, authenticity and a lot of heart” says Whisson. “I want to put stories on stage that are the catalyst for important conversations about the world we live in; stories that make people laugh, then make them think. I seek to create the kind of theatre that has the power to cultivate a sense of community, to open hearts and to spark minds.” Whisson is currently Artist in Residence at Midland Junction Arts Centre. Whisson’s proposed project for RJAFTA is to develop a play titled Menswear, which she will write, workshop, and stage at the 2023 Fringe World Festival in Perth. The project is in response to a combination of workplace harassment Whisson witnessed whilst working in a menswear store, as well as being constantly surprised and often moved by the stories she encountered as to why a customer needed to buy their suit. Whisson explains “These rich snapshots of people’s lives that they shared with me during our 30 minute styling sessions were often surprising, raw, hilarious, occasionally very insightful, and very suited to being material for a play.”
Find out more about Haylee Whisson on her website HERE