David Pledger | |
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David Pledger is an artist and director in a variety of media in the performing, visual and media arts.
Pledger is the founding artistic director of Not Yet It's Difficult, an interdisciplinary arts company. He built a cross-sectoral dramaturgy, enabling collaborations with sociologists, cultural theorists, scientists, computer programmers, media artists and performers. His practice interests include the body, the digital realm and public space and his thematic interests include the politics of power, sport, suburbia and landscape. His documentaries, media art, live performances, installations and interactive artworks have been presented in various locations including theatres, galleries, museums, a car-park, a stables, a cattleyard, a suburban house, a film studio and at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Produced by Not Yet It’s Difficult, his performance works include "The Austral/Asian Post-Cartoon: sports edition" (1997) and "Scenes of the Beginning From The End" (2001), the multimedia plays "K" (2002–05) and "Blowback" (2004), the contemporary opera "Cosmonaut" (2004) and the dance-music laboratory "Ampersand" (2011–2013); installation projects include (not) the next-door neighbours (2001) and "Walk In Drive In" (with Callum Morton) (2006); locative artworks include "The Meaning of Moorabbin is Open for Inspection" (2008), "Hoist" (2010) and "He Took Us To the Cattleyard" (2012). In 2004 he created the interactive cinematic artwork "Eavesdrop" (with Jeffrey Shaw). The crossover with his documentary film projects Cosenza Vecchia (2000) and The UnMaking Of (1998) and his collection of digital works on video, "urbanandsuburban" (2012), lies in the mediation of non-linear narrative. In Australia, his work has been presented at Powerhouse Museum, ACMI, Art Gallery of South Australia, Seoul Arts Centre, and Hawaii International Film Festival. He has collaborated with other artists including media artist Jeffrey Shaw, visual artists Callum Morton and William Kelly, choreographer Shimizu Shinjin and theatre director, Kim Kwang Lim. His work is featured in international publications including: Melbourne Now Limited Edition (NGV, Australia, 2013); Multimedia Performance (Macmillan, UK, 2012) and Making Contemporary Theatre (MUP, UK, 2010).
A recipient of the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and the Kenneth Myer Performing Arts Medal for his work as a director and actor. He was also recognised by the Victorian Green Room Awards for his work in theatre, dance and opera. As a writer, he has been commissioned by SBS, Sydney Opera House, Playbox Theatre, Circe Films and cinemedia, and recognised by the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards (his play Blowback was short-listed for the Louis Esson Prize for Drama) and Australian Writers Guild for New Media Writing (Eavesdrop). Pledger is a recipient of Fellowships from the Churchill Memorial Trust and the Australia Korea Foundation and he has undertaken residencies at the Centre for Art and Media (ZKM) and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre (Asialink).