Richard Allen

EXPRESSIVE INTERFACE INVENTION

An engineer and musician, Richard has been creating custom musical instruments and physically interactive sculptural works with sound for the past 15 years while working commercially as an animatronics engineer and animator for stage, TV and gaming.

Richard has a passion for creating new modes of expression through technology and uses playful environments and objects to encourage exploration and collaboration often exploring confrontational themes.

Recent Works/Commissions/Commercial gigs :

• On The Edge China Tour – Touring in 2010 with an amazing crew of new Media Artists under an Australia Council grant, Richie collaborated and performed with Local artists creating musical drawing tools for a calligraphy and graffiti show amongst other things! http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/metro/2010-11/22/content_11585526.htmhttp://ote.rtek.com.au/ Contact katecroll(at)gmail.com
• Lala Lullaby major interactive musical sculpture installation with fibre artist Pippa Willison toured in 2009 at What is Music Sydney, Rainbow Serpent Festival, Peats Ridge Festival 2009.
  http://futureartresearch.org/lala-lullaby/ Mysterious sculpture, an engaging performance, a hypnotic soundscape, an experience in aural acrobatics, LaLaLullaby is all these and a bit more
• Subsoma siesmic driven muscle stimulation device for Performance artist and Psychologist Michaela Davies http://www.michaeladavies.net/subsoma/ funded by the Australian Govt. and National Science Week
• Cake And Laser Show – Sound driven lighting show (and caramel slice) for Darwin band Red Plum and Snow under NT Government Grant Darwin Entertainment Centre 2009
• Grid feed Exercise Bike Generator for Monash University grid connected exercise bike generator
• MCKS midi kickdrum system for Robbie Avenaim with Robin Fox under Australia Council New Work Grant http://www.robbieavenaim.com/new%20projects.html
• Augmented Feedback Noise Saxophone for Musician Lloyd Honeybrook http://www.myspace.com/lloydandrobbie

• Animatronics Engineer and Dinosaur Fabricator for http://www.creaturetechnology.com creators of the Walking With Dinosaurs Stage Show
• Elecromechanical Installations For JoltArts – http://www.joltarts.org A wide variety of electromechanical music-making machines for James Hullick’s JoltArts group including Spirit Bones 2006, Cranky Robots 2007 and the major hybrid arts event “The NIS” in 2009 including producing electromechnical instruments for The Amplified Elephants – an interabilities
  arts group at the Footscray Community Arts centre. http://www.aarts.net.au/news/330/140/THENIS-
  artistic-excellence-in-community/
• War-On Physical Video Game installation of hacked Atari 2600 TV game console with large scale physical interface for group play with mixed video of Asylum seekers in detention at
  Woomera. 2003 SOOB festival, 2003 Electrofringe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94efZLx8GjI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh9SY5Hjnko
• Hypnonoodle Audio visual instrument – winner of Best Sound Toy Award at SOOB 2004 Combining a physical interface with a synthesizer and oscilloscope to create a new kind of addictive audio-visual instrument! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjMXXegls5k
• Chi Chi Fibonacci the Electric Hemaphrodite musical suit Electrofringe 2007
• 3D Art Tutor – Academy of Interactive Entertainment Melbourne 2006 http://www.aie.edu.au Teaching 1st year students in a Certificate IV in 3D Animation for Games and Film
• Electronic Toy installation, Pyro robot control system, Big Day Out Sydney and Brisbane with Mekanarky Studios 2006 http://www.mekanarky.com Design and construction of MIDI – controlled musical, flashing bubble blowing toyensemble, control system design and construction for pyro puppet sculpures.
• 3D Character Animator – Krome Studios 2005 http://www.kromestudios.com/
• Richie’s Electric Playground 2001-2008 http://www.clatter box.net.au/instruments_more.php? id=84_0_4_10_M Mobile, solar-powered, interactive music workshop/show, where anyone can learn to play melody and harmony together with Richie’s unique, squeezy, twisty danceable instruments! International Tour 2005 included Glastonbury Kidz field and Cletic Blue rock festival. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Bqh1HgsMs

CV for Richard Allen Feb 2011

Richie’s Youtube Archives of Music toys 2005