D.A.Calf is a multidisciplinary sound and installation artist, musician, composer, sound designer, producer and researcher based in Melbourne, Australia. He is currently involved in the Sound Art & Spatial Sculpture program at RMIT, Melbourne, AU where his particular interests lie in explorations of trauma, memory, serialisation, place, erasure and trace. These themes are explored through cartography, performance, immersive installation and archival work.
He also holds an undergraduate degree in Philosophy & Politics (double-major) from The University of Newcastle, AU and a B.Fine Arts (Hons) (Sound Art & Spatial Sculpture) from RMIT University, Melbourne, AU. in 202 he won the Joel Elenberg Prize for his Honours work A Spectral Geology.
He is co-founder of acclaimed immersive theatre/live art company The Guerrilla Museum and recording studio/production suite The Institute Studio, where he has helped craft the sonic visions of numerous artists and sound-based projects.
In addition he tours regularly as a multi-instrumentalist and sound designer for numerous acts and has toured Australia, Europe and the US multiple times.
Past Works - Performance, Installation & Curation
2019
European Tour (July-September) - sound-based performances
Tilde Festival of New Music & Sound Art (Melbourne, AU) - From My Non-Place - Quad-channel sound installation
2018
RMIT BFA GRAD SHOW - La Vie Mode d’Emploi
THE TOTE (Melbourne, AU - performance residency) - November 2018
ELECTROFRINGE/SYDNEY FRINGE - From My Non-Place - (Sydney, AU) Quad-channel data sonification installation
M PAVILION - Secret Rehearsal - (Melb, AU) Improvisation-based performance.
MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL - (Melb, AU) Sound Design
2017
KINGS ARTIST-RUN - Remnant - (Melb, AU) Solo exhibition (24hr duration video and audio)
KINGS ARTIST-RUN - Remnant (Performance) - (Melb, AU) Solo exhibition (24hr duration video and audio, 3x 6hr performance)
MELBOURNE FRINGE - Transient (Melb, AU) (Soundwalk)
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL - All of My Friends Were There (The Guerrilla Museum) (Melb, AU) - Theatreworks - (Immersive theatre design, sound design, composition, technical direction)
2016
DARK MOFO - Last Words in a Hearse - (Hobart, AU) (Interactive/immersive piece for three hearses and website)
THE BOON COMPANIONS - Human Reactable at All That We Cannot Say (Melb, AU) (Interactive light and sound installation)
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL - Funeral (The Guerrilla Museum) - Arts Centre (Melb, AU) (Immersive theatre design, sound design, composition, technical direction)
TILDE FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSIC & SOUND ART - Hurtz III - (Melb, AU) (Performance for mixing console and outboard. with audio-reactive visuals)
2015
FEDERATION SQUARE - Nature Morte - (Melb, AU) - Environmental Film Festival (Live score for short film)
DARK MOFO - Funeral (The Guerrilla Museum) (Melb, AU) (Immersive theatre design, sound design, composition, technical direction)
BRISBANE FESTIVAL - Funeral (The Guerrilla Museum) (Melb, AU) (Immersive theatre design, sound design, composition, technical direction)
ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE - Hurtz II - Hexasonic (Melb, AU) (Performance for mixing console and outboard)
ELECTROFRINGE - Hurtz II - (Sydney, AU) (Performance for mixing console and outboard)
2014
MELBOURNE MUSIC WEEK- Hurtz I (Melb, AU) (Performance for mixing console and outboard)
MELBOURNE MUSIC WEEK - Lost Empire series (curation) (Melb, AU) - shows in unusual spaces
EUROPEAN/US TOUR - Solo performance
AUSTRALIAN TOUR - Solo performance
Past Works - Discography
2020
Outer (as The Book of Ships)
Flushes of EU II
2018
Circuli I
Flushes of AU III
2017
One Hundred Sixty-Eight Hrs (composition with morse code and voice generation)
Seven Mornings (Paris-based series of field recordings documenting an apartment building over the course of a week)
Flushes of US (fields recordings of a certain subset of US non-places, listed only by their geographical coordinates)
Flushes of AU 2
2016
Flushes of EU (field recordings of a certain subset of US non-places, listed only by their geographical coordinates)
Flushes of AU
2015
Hurtz I
2014
Terra I - compositions based on geographical locations (Dieppe, FRA and Slotermeer, NE)
Past Works - Sound Design/Composition
THEATRE
- 2019 Storm Boy (Melbourne Theatre Company) - Sound design/Composition secondment
- 2017 All of My Friends Were There (The Guerrilla Museum) - Sound design/Composition/VO
- 2014 Funeral (The Guerrilla Museum) - Sound design/Composition
PODCAST
- 2019 Sound As Ever (Australian Music Vault) - Sound design/Mix/Master (3 episodes - Regurgitator’s Band in a Bubble / Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home / Hexdebt and the Politics of Punk and Identity)
- 2019 Up the Pole (Cressida Bradley) - Recording/Mixing/Mastering
MULTIMEDIA
- 2016 - Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney - Calyx bicentennial installation - Sound design/Composition
SPOKEN WORD / OTHER
- 2019 Up the Pole (Cressida Bradley - Malthouse Theatre) - Sound design/Composition
- 2018 Festival Launch (Melbourne Writers Festival) - Sound design/Composition
- 2018 Field Recording (Matt Wicking) - Sound design/Composition/Film Mix
- 2018 Lost at Sea (Matt Wicking) - Sound design/Composition/Film Mix
AWARDS & FUNDING
- 2020 Joel Elenberg Prize (Judged by Anna Schwartz)
Study / Masterclasses / Short Courses
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sound Art & Spatial Sculpture) - RMIT, Melbourne, AU
- Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy & Politics Double Major) - University of Newcastle, AU
- Diploma of Languages (French) - RMIT, Melbourne, AU
- Michel Chion Masterclass - RMIT 2017
- Miller Puckette Pure Data Masterclass - BIFEM 2017
- Programming Max: Structuring Interactive Software for Digital Arts - Stanford University (through Kadenze)
Development Labs / Residencies / Study Tours / Conferences
- Cité International des Arts - Artist Residency (2mo July/Aug 2019 Paris, FR)
- Melbourne Theatre Company - Sound Design/Composition secondment (under Darrin Verhagen) - Storm Boy (5wks May/June 2019, Melb, AU)
- Malthouse Theatre - Tower Residency (3wks 2017 Melb, AU) - as The Guerrilla Museum
- FOLALAB - Festival of Live Art (FOLA) (2wks 2016 Melb, AU) - as The Guerrilla Museum
- Ars Electronica - Future Innovators Summit (2016 Linz, Austria) (Wild card panellist)
- Field Work Tour (Sept 2019) - self-funded (Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro)
- European Study and Development Tour (Nov 2018 - Jan 2019) - self-funded (France, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, FYRO Macedonia)
- European Study and Development Tour (2016) - self-funded (France, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Austria)
- European Study and Development Tour (2014) - self-funded (France, Netherlands, Austria, Germany)
Guest Appearances / Technical Management
2019 Field Recording (Matt Wicking) - Brunswick Mechanics Institute - Performer/Composer/Sound Designer/Technical Manager
2018 Film Recording Pt.III (Fiona McDonald) - To Do / To Act - Boom Operator/Performer
2018 Film Recording Pt.III (Fiona McDonald) - Monash University Museum of Art - Boom Operator/Performer
2018 Boleskine (Philip Samartzis) - (Diffusion) - RMIT, Melbourne - System Tech
2007/2008 This Is Not Art (Multi-Arts Festival) - Production Manager
Selected Studio Production credits:
Mojo Juju
Native Tongue (ABC/Universal) (ARIA nominated album - 2018) - engineer
Mojo Juju (ABC/Universal) (Album - 2012) - mix/engineer/arranger
Demos (2011) - producer/mix/engineer
The General Assembly
Vanishing Point (Album - 2017) producer/mix/engineer/programming/treatments/guitar/synth/mellotron/pump organ
Everybody Knows (mini EP - 2019) - producer/mix/engineer/arranger/steel guitar
Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants
Sellin' You Salvation (Hoodoo Emporium/MGM) (Album - 2010) - engineer
Scat Song (Hoodoo Emporium) (EP - 2010) - engineer
Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants (Independent)(Album - 2007)*- producer/mix/engineer
Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants (Independent)(Demo/EP - 2006) - producer/mix/engineer
Charlie Echo
Verticalibrations (Independent) (Single - 2019) - mix
Ashford Brigade (Independent) (Single - 2019) - mix
Island Hopper (Independent) (Single - 2019) - mix
Color Glo (Independent) (Single - 2018) - mix
Tilley
close (EP - 2018) - producer/mix/engineer/programming/treatments/guitar/synth++
Kira Puru & The Bruise
The Liar (Golden Records)(EP - 2011)(mixed by Rick Will) - engineer
Kira Puru & The Bruise (Golden Records)(EP - 2010) - producer/mix/engineer
Matt Wicking
Lost at Sea (Film/live performance project - 2019) - sound design/mix/programming/treatments/guitar/synth
Field Recording (Film/live performance project - 2019) - sound design/mix/programming/treatments/guitar/synth
Dynamic Calories (UK)
Known Album (Album - 2017) - mix
Ergo B Bag
- mix - S/T (Independent)(Album - 2006)
- engineer – (Yet to be released new material - 2008)
The Book of Ships
- producer/mix/engineer (w/Scott Horscroft)/engineer/guitar/keys - Outer (nomachinethinking)(Album - 2020)
- producer/mix/engineer (w/Scott Horscroft)/engineer/guitar/keys - Dark Continent, Cold Century (nomachinethinking/Vitamin)(Album - 2010)
The Hauntingly Beautiful Mousemoon
- co-producer/mix/guitar/keys/bv - Cry Baby Cry & 45 Minutes, 7 Seconds of Bleeding Live Tracks (Rubber Records)(EP - 2005)
- co-producer/guitar/bv - The Mire/Cry Baby Cry (Signor Piggy Wigg)(Double A-Side - 2004)*
- co-producer/guitar/lap steel/bv – Presents... (One Henry/MGM) (EP – 2003)
- co-producer/guitar/bv - Four Early Songs (Signor Piggy Wigg) (EP/Demo - 2001)*
Film, Radio, TV & Sync:
2019 - Climactic podcast (end credits music) - The Wild Child (The General Assembly) - Production/Arrangement/Mix/Engineer
2013 - Hello Forever (feature film) - Flying in Dreams (The Book of Ships) - sync
2012 - Bathing Franky (feature film) - Keep Ur Blooz, A Sml Luv Song (The Book of Ships) - sync
2006-2009 - Live Sites Newcastle - music supervisor/audio editor/sound designer/mix
2008 - Sydney Airport Flight Announcement System - mix/engineer
2008 - Bitter & Twisted Boutique Beer Festival TV advert - composition
2007 - Synchro Advertising Agency (Website) - mix/engineer
2006 - The Lovelorn Living Party – theatre show content - mix/engineer
...numerous TV and radio adverts
Professional Referees
Associate Professor Philip Samartzis - School of Fine Arts - RMIT Melbourne, Australia;
Dr. Michael Graeve - School of Fine Arts - RMIT Melbourne, Australia; Board Member - Liquid Architecture.
Marieke Hardy - Artistic Director - Melbourne Writers Festival, AU; Screenwriter represented in the US by United Talent Agency (UTA).
Dr. Darrin Verhagen - School of Digital Media - RMIT Melbourne, Australia; Sound Designer & Composer - MTC, Chunky Move, Bell Shakespeare.
N.B. Referee contact details available upon request