bachelorettechangingopinionforevermore, Michelle Xen, 2008, single channel video installation (still image).
bachelorettechangingopinionforevermore is a single channel video installation developed during the completion of a Master of Arts in Research, QUT.
Led by choreographer Vanessa Mafe, with costumes developed by Paula Dunlop, the video features an improvised performance by Xen. The title of the work leads on from the score of the video composed by Xen using three songs layered and effected: Bachelorette, by Björk, Changing Opinion, by Philip Glass and Forevermore, by Moloko.
Wings of a Rich Manoeuvre, Suzann Victor, National Museum of Singapore. Lighting and interactivity designed and manufactured by Lumen.Cloud.
Lumen.Cloud is an art, lighting, sound and installation collective led by Michelle Xen and designer Richard Candy. Working across disciplines, Lumen.Cloud have been commissioned to design and develop projects from lighting, interactivity, to installation, public art and festival events.
Featured project: Wings of a Rich Manoeuvre – by Singaporean artist Suzann Victor, presents a chorus of eight kinetic chandeliers that “sing” with movement as they sway in a dramatic mid-air choreography of light. Each chandelier is constructed and shaped from stainless steel and studded with a sparkling array of precision-cut Swarovski crystals accentuated by LED light designed by Lumen.Cloud. Together, the chandeliers create breathtaking aerial calligraphy as they morph from one hypnotic pattern to another, high above the bridge linking the National Museum’s original 19th-century colonial building with its modern futuristic glass wing.
Last Word, Robyn Backen and THE PLANK, 2012, Bundanon.
THE PLANK is a collaborative group created and led by artist Robyn Backen for the project Last Word developed for the Bundanon Trust. Michelle Xen composed site-specific sound work for the Last Word performance.
“Last Word 2012, a site-specific river performance, which developed research into acoustic and light transmission systems in remote environments.
The work embodied a river fugue of voices, and channelled memory in the form of a farmers diary from the region, written in the 1880’s. The dialogue focussed on the mundane daily weather report to explore the sense of time and necessary need to understand the climate. These voices transmitted then received beside, around and across the Shoalhaven tidal zone. It referenced the Boyd landscape legacy through the light and sound transmission, which illuminated and echoed upon the ghostly hillside, as a procession ascended and eventually disappeared into darkness.”
Lose My Cool, Michelle Xen, music video (still image).
Lose My Cool is the first single from Michelle Xen’s EP – ON FOR YOU.
Director, Editor: Michelle Xen Director of Photography, Co-Director: Jared Bazley Filming assistance by Kyrin Bazley Chair concept design by Michelle Xen, Rozina Suliman and Timothy Brown, chair design and fabrication by Adam Wigg, Lisa De Re and Michael Vagg, chair funded by the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art
One Million Stars, installation designed by Michelle Xen and Richard Candy as Lumen.Cloud, 2018.
The One Million Stars installation is composed of over one million handwoven stars created by an international community, led by artist Maryann Talia Pau. to promote peace, light and hope in the world has been unveiled in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD in King George Square.
The installation is presented by Museum of Brisbane and the Queensland Government for Festival 2018 in King George Square, and was designed by Michelle Xen and Richard Candy – Lumen.Cloud.
“The One Million Stars public artwork is a fully immersive experience, inviting visitors inside a four-metre high, 15-metre wide dome created from 370 brightly coloured star garlands, forming a kaleidoscopic effect accompanied by a soundscape created by artist Michelle Xen.”
Slowground, Michelle Xen & Richard Candy, 2020, single channel video.
Slowground is a single channel video work commissioned by HOTA (Home of the Arts).
Michelle Xen collaborated with industrial and lighting designer Richard Candy to explore the site, isolation and phenomena during the lockdowns in Australia in 2020. Footage for the work was sourced via drone and composited using kaleidoscopic effects exploring light phenomena and other-worldly suggestions.
The Dynamics of Disobedience EP features five new songs live that combine heavy bass, strong vocals, and glitchy electronic effects based off the enthralling live show that is equal parts spectacle & charisma.
Michelle Xen + The Neon Wild, LADY ELECTRONICA, 2012.
Lady Electronica is a collective of female solo artists from Brisbane who write, produce, and perform electronic music.
The artists represent a broad spectrum of electronic production including ambient, beat-based electronica, and experimental performance with new interfaces.
The collective aims to inspire and support one another to generate new work and innovative performances experimenting with technology.
Electro Comb saw the transformation of inner city Fish Lane Studios into a one-night-only collaborative performance event across music, dance and sculptural costume. The project was built around the experimental pop music release Electro Comb written and produced by Michelle Xen. Costumes were developed by artist and photographer Gerwyn Davies who created four bespoke headpieces for the dance performers in Electro Comb. The project also involved a shortlisted team of creative interns who developed and produced wearable sculptural accessories for the cast of the music video.
Project Credits: Written and produced by Michelle Xen Mixed and mastered by Yanto Browning Released by Paper Street Records Music video Directed by Michelle Xen Director of Photography Jared Bazley Edited by Michelle Xen Colourist: Jared Bazley Photo Documentation by Black Bee Studio Choreographed by Courtney Scheu Dancers:
Main protagonist: Nick Costume Design by Gerwyn Davies Make-up Artist: Lucille Korponay Creative Collaborators: Joel Devereux Melissa Poole Chaihui Tseng
Project Managers: Michelle Xen and Carly Dickenson Many thanks to Tristan Berry at Paper Street Records Many thanks to the artists, creatives, dancers and volunteers who participated in the making of this video.
Supported by iAM Projects and Fish Lane Studios Supported by Brisbane City Council Creative Sparks Grant
