Who is Nicky Pastore?
Recently I took the plunge and started freelancing full-time as a film & arts producer. On the film-side of things I work in a studio called Oh Yeah Wow – a motely crew of very talented animators and film-makers who continue to dazzle me with their left-of-centre creations. On the art-side of things, I’ve taken on the role of Festival Director for this year’s Gertrude Street Projection Festival (GSPF).
What would you do differently to what you do now?
I see life as a constant journey, always reflecting on my past experiences and hoping to exceed them. My advice to emerging artists is often to throw yourself in the deep end and see where you end up. My early days experimenting in projection art started off with a collective of uni mates roaming the city streets looking for power-plugs and large blank walls. The ephemeral quality of projection art appealed to us and if we were hassled by security, we would just power down and move onto the next location. Someone suggested we check out the Projection Festival in Fitzroy so we turned up with a car-battery in a trolly and started projecting onto buildings. Fast-forward to now (5 years later), I’m running the show!
Who inspires you and why?
Without sounding too corny, I’m constantly inspired by the people around me – I enjoy working collaboratively and building on partnership projects. This is something I love most about working on the GSPF, an event that wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of everyone involved. Each year the festival grows as the artists and community members are influenced by each other and being apart of that process inspires me.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Where do you even start to answer this question… Art is an excellent tool for making a difference in the world. Accessibility is key and supporting the art community is essential.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Post-festival last year I spent a short holiday on King Island with a couple of the other GSPF committee members. For a city kid like myself, walking along the beach at night and actually seeing the stars in the milky-way was like its very own projection festival!
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take then to, and why?
I’m going to be completely bias here and say Gertrude street, Fitzroy. As the area is rapidly evolving, the street still holds onto its diversity and history. Through the GSPF we try to highlight this and build relationships between local artists and business. This year especially, we’re encouraging the public to explore further into the neighbourhood – we have installations within the community housing estate of Atherton Gardens, a live music event at MAYSAR showcasing emerging Indigenous musicians and a roving projection theatre performance developed by young people of the area.
What are you currently reading?
I read mostly when travelling on public transport, so I often pick up Melbourne literary journals like The Lifted Brow and Going Down Swinging, which are also so beautifully designed that I add them to my art book collection when done.
What are you currently listening to?
Right at this very moment I’ve got Radiohead’s Ok Computer playing on the stereo. Not only are they one of my all time favourite bands but their recent live show was phenomenal. Featuring a dozen moving LED screens that transformed the colour and style of the stage for each song – it’s exciting to see bands of their scale understand how important the overall audio/visual experience is and the potential of experimentation with the artform.
Happiness is?
To quote Twin Peaks’ FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper: “Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it. Don’t wait for it. Just let it happen.”
What does the future hold for you?
Hopefully 10 days of dry weather and no blackouts during this year’s festival!
Graduating from RMIT’s Animation & Interactive Media degree, Nicky Pastore has immersed herself in numerous community projects and initiatives including directing The Gertrude Street Projection Festival, producing projects at film studio Oh Yeah Wow and digital marketing at Footscray Community Arts Centre.
The Gertrude Street Projection Festival runs 10 – 19 July and artworks will be projected from 6pm until midnight every evening during the Festival. For more information, visit: www.gspf.com.au for details.
Image: Nicky Pastore