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The Core
Darren O'Donnell: Artistic Director
is a writer, director, social acupuncturist, designer and artistic director of Mammalian Diving Reflex. His shows include A Suicide-Site Guide to the City, Diplomatic Immunities, pppeeeaaaccceee, [boxhead], White Mice, Over, Who Shot Jacques Lacan?, Radio Rooster Says That's Bad and Mercy! He has written for C Magazine, Public, Canadian Theatre Review, Daily News and Analysis India and Descant.
His most recent book, Social Acupuncture, argues for an aesthetic of civic engagement, an approach to cultural production that acknowledges the severe shortcomings of neoliberalism and the failure of the private sector to take care of the public interest, viewing this as an opportunity for artists to step into the world of social policy. Responding to all the hot air about creativity and the creative city, O'Donnell states "there is the need for an understanding of art that goes not only beyond pleasant aesthetics, but beyond even typical ideas of creativity and imagination, direct engaging with the civic sphere; an aesthetic that can work directly with the institutions of civil society - an aesthetic of civic engagement. An aesthetic that says: Okay, so you want to make culture and creativity a central part of civic life? Fine. Then, as an artist, I want in on the institutions that form - at ground level - the fabric of the city. I want to use these as material in my art practice."
Darren was the 2000 winner of the Pauline McGibbon Award for directing and has been nominated for a number of Dora Awards for his writing, directing, and acting, winning (with Naomi Campbell) for their design of White Mice. His play [boxhead] was nominated for a Chalmers Award and he received a Gabriel Award for excellence in broadcasting for his CBC radio piece Like a Fox.
Coach House Books has published four of his books: Inoculations (White Mice, Over, Who Shot Jacques Lacan?, Radio Rooster Says That's Bad); pppeeeaaaccceee (the play plus essays by the collaborators); his first novel, Your Secrets Sleep with Me, which has been called by The Chicago Reader "a bible for the dispossessed, a prophecy so full of hope it's crushing"; and most recently Social Acupuncture: A guide to suicide, performance and utopia which include the text for A Suicide-Site Guide to the City and an extended essay about social acupuncture.
Natalie De Vito: Producer
Natalie's curatorial interests in producing artists' work that addresses social engagement by encouraging interaction between the artwork and the audience, as well as between audience members, and often in unconventional and public spaces brought her to Mammalian Diving Reflex.
Natalie's experience includes being Artistic Producer, Artist Weekend 2008 for the Ontario Arts Council, Acting Media and Visual Arts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council, Head of Development and Marketing at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, and Co-Director of Mercer Union Centre for Contemporary Art. She has produced, curated or coordinated over 50 exhibitions, events, and performances, and has toured many internationally.
Her writing has appeared most recently in Coach House Books uTOpia: State of the Arts, with "Mom, Dad, will you co-sign my mortgage? Creating a new home for Toronto's small arts organizations." A proposal to the City of Toronto, her essay positions the art community at the centre of, and as drivers of urban planning and redevelopment. It also envisions a future Toronto that would, among other things, offer city-guaranteed mortgages to small arts organizations and artists so they could own property (and thus gain economic power) in their gentrifying downtown neighbourhoods. Natalie has also written for C Magazine, Parachute, Prefix Photo, VISION Magazine Shanghai, and exhibition brochures and catalogues.
Natalie holds a B.Sc. (Double Programme) in human anatomy and art history from McGill University, Montreal, and a M.A. in art history from York University, Toronto. She was former vice-president of both the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC) and C Magazine.
Eva Verity: Associate Producer
is currently pursuing graduate studies in Art History at York University. Her research examines contemporary art and its ever-changing relationships to social structures and institutions. In particular she investigates issues of originality, canonicity and influence by relating the practice of sampling in music to appropriation in the work of contemporary visual artists who re-present canonical masterpieces.
Eva's involvement in the Art Gallery of Ontarios's In Your Face project sparked her interest in interactive art and its potential for community building and social activism.
She completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Cultural Studies and Critical Theory at McMaster University in 2006.
Best Collaborators Ever
Faisal Anwar: Director of New Media
is a New Media artists with diverse background in theatre, experimental puppets, Media arts and Graphic Design. A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre's Habitat-LAB, Interactive Arts and Entertainment Programme, he Co- founded Into it! and Action Pact designs. Into it! is an interactive Installation, creating an immersive experience from animal's perspective for kids. This project is now into next phase of developed, in collaboration with Habitat-Lab, Banff Media Lab, University of Toronto, and with funding from CultureAll, The next phase is to make Into It universally accessible by able and children with limited mobility. Anwar's interests is in the relationship of fictional narrative, social interaction, edutainment & interactive design. His recent projects include Diplomatic Immunities, G.O.T.C.H.A (on-site video installation by using cell phone technology), Neighborhood (online interactive documentary), Suno-khani (online fair-tale stories), Write Your Own History (NewMedia installation) and blue sky (shadow puppet performance). Anwar also directed 4 short films, Its as Simple as That 2000 I.D check 2003, Gurriya 2005 and Clifton to Sadder 2006. Faisal currently serves on the Programming Committee of SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Collective) and teaches at Centennial College.
Lenine Bourke: Australia Operative
Lenine's professional experience in the arts and cultural sectors has taken her throughout Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the USA. She has worked for community, government and arts institutions and organisations. She is currently the Director of Young People and the Arts Australia, the national peak body for youth arts.
Her experience extends across a broad range of arts and cultural forms, however her work is collaborative and usually responds to individual or community ideas or issues. She has worked in urban, rural and remote geographies.
She has worked extensively with young people, children and their families from diverse communities. Some of the major pieces of her work have been based around social justice, change making, culture and heritage, play and place.
Lenine's work has been received as innovative, having integrity and continually utilises socially just and culturally appropriate processes, she is considered a leader in her field and enjoys working with people to invigorate and activate change. In 2006 she was awarded the national Kirk Robson Award for outstanding leadership from the federal government through the Australia Council for the Arts. In 2009 she received a Fellowship from Brisbane City Council to explore the realm of Social Practice.
Stephanie Comilang: Projection, Video, etc.
is a romantic and realist who lives and works in Toronto. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Ontario College of Art and Design and has since been in collaboration with a number of artists. On her completion of school, she started touring Europe and North America extensively with Final Fantasy accompanying Owen Pallett and his violin with live shadows and drawings on the overhead projector. Together they have played both garages with mattresses as seating and big Scandinavian concert halls. She most recently directed a meta-trilogy of music videos for Final Fantasy, which can be seen on TV and your computer. She is currently mapping out a puppet show about growing up with an Elvis impersonator father entitled Children of the King.
Nick Murray aka murr: Sound
Born in Barbados, murr is a composer and producer of electronic music. He is a member of the band Lal and the music production company Da Grassroots. He has produced for Mood Ruff, Dream Warriors, Ghetto Concept (2 time Juno Award -winners) and K-os, to name a few. Murr has released a 12" on Nick Holder's DNH label and various electronic works on Public Transit Records. He was the sound designer for Mammalian Diving Reflex's pppeeeaaaccceee, White Mice, A Suicide-Site Guide to the City, Diplomatic Immunities and The Last days of Judas Iscariot for Birdland theatre (Dora nominated). As well as Two Can Play for Obsidian theatre and Fallen Angel and The Devil Concubine for bcurrent theatre and A Midsummer Nights Dream in High Park for Canadian Stage.
Hazel Venzon: West Coast Operative
Hazel's experimental. She comes from a Visual Art background, holding a BFA from the University of Manitoba's School of Art('02) and a graduate of Studio 58's Acting Program('06). She takes every opportunity that comes her way and loves to play all the time - be it video, paint, children, musical instruments, sewing machines, tape, charcoal, ink and photgraphy.
Hazel's the founder of A Full Belly Productions (Winnipeg, MB) and co-founder of Jane Productions Inc. (Vancouver, BC). She writes, directs, produces, collaborates, and performes her own work. Also an actor, she's performed with such theatre companies as Rumble Productions, Ruby Slippers, Boca del Lupo, Caravan Farm, and Green Thumb Theatre.
She is a believer in social engagement and will experience it whenever, wherever it is humanly possible.