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A concept for new technology that allows facial expressions to be controlled on worn character costumes has won NIDA’s inaugural Jim Sharman Future Award.
Administered through the NIDA Future Centre, the triennial prize offers $50,000 funding alongside tailored NIDA support for artists from Australia and the Asia Pacific aged 16-30 to turn bold ideas and projects into a reality.
Daniel MacKenzie’s The Next Stage in Character Costume Mask Technology was crowned the winner at an event last night after being presented alongside five other finalists to a judging panel comprising Amazon MGM Studios head of Australian originals Sarah Christie, Sydney Festival director Kris Nelson, Screen NSW head Kyas Hepworth, and multidisciplinary artist Jason Phu.
The technological development consists of masks that read a performer’s facial expressions and can directly mimic them on a character mask, regardless of the size of the mask, freeing a costumed actor from any external control of their character’s facial expressions.
MacKenzie said the award would help him focus on the design concepts that I had been thinking about for the past 5 years.
“I’m excited to be able to start building and creating from these designs,” he said.
The other finalists for the award comprised Oliver English and Thomas Bizzell’s Ovation, Supawich Weesapen and Kanokwan Sutthang’s Flow Through the Eternal Realm (Thailand), Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson’s The Virtual Architecture of Empathy: Rohan, Vishesh Kalra’s Retreat Corporate, and Kalu Oji’s Promise (Best Of).
In a statement, the judging panel paid tribute to MacKenzie while also giving an honorary mention to Eshraghian-Haakansson.
“We were given criteria to work with around vision, feasibility and impact,” they said.
“For us, the project that spoke the most strongly to these pillars was brought together with a clear vision and purpose. We’ve awarded the inaugural Jim Sharman prize to Daniel MacKenzie for his proposal to look at the sensory potential of mask-making – bringing an old practice into the 21st century with potential for applications in theatre, theme parks, film and TV, special effects, and even cosplay or perhaps prosthetic research.
“We were very happy to award an honorary mention to Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson, a singular artist based in Perth who is exploring myth, empathy, and connection. We think she is a leading artist, and her work will have a powerful impact on how we tell stories. Overall, what a great experience and an inspiring day to hear from so many emerging artists. Kudos to Jim Sharman for supporting this award and investing in young talent.”
Sharman, a director and NIDA alum known for his work on productions Hair (Sydney, Tokyo, Boston), Jesus Christ Superstar (Australia, and 9 years in London’s West End), and The Rocky Horror Show (UK, USA, Australia), agreed that MacKenzie was a worthy winner.
“The award was designed to bring fresh ideas into the future of the creative arts, and the judges decided that they loved how Daniel’s idea explores technology and brings traditional theatre making into the future,” he said.
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