Rob and The Frayed Thread
The first 30 years of my life had a constant frayed thread of torn running through them. This thread was frayed and torn from rubbing against the the artificial boundaries established for binary expedience. Artificial boundaries between art and science, person and object, subject and citizen and a whole lot more polarities that seemed so diminishing to me.
Who’s castles are we building anyway?
Rob The Engineer
Having graduated as an electronic engineer from university I was set on a professional trajectory in the electronic media industry (broadcast and recording). Research and design, (audio, embedded systems and microelectronics) was the foundation to the inevitable pull into management. It was a remarkable privilege to lead a remarkable team of people in the development of key components of the worlds first encrypted satellite TV system. Ultimately I crowbarred my way out of corporate life. This was not easy but the pull was strong. I set about fixing the world of work as a management consultant. It was a challenge to learn how not to be important.
Rob The Artist
The shy and uncertain artist hovered in the wings in the “professional days” with an occasional foray into photography, music and theatre. Post day job I ventured with heart in mouth into Adele Blank’s Free Flight Dance studio with camera to see what was possible. That was it - the start of a love affair with dance (and dancers) firstly as an observer behind a camera and later as collaborator in performances integrating images and video as additional cast members. This world has brought me close to some extraordinary people who have made my life extraordinary and enormously rich.
Rob The Human
What can be said here? As I left the world of comfortable income, boardrooms and performance management personal development became a major theme in my life. That side by side with an ongoing transition from fundamentalism to mysticism. This odd combination of mysticism, psychology and engineering pragmatism can be confusing to many, myself included. It must be said I am the father of three incredible young adults (one late). Their mother, still my wife, equally incredible and so much terribly bigger than just being my wife I might add.