Who is Brian Thunder?
A Theatre Maker and Pyrotechnician from Galway, in the west of Ireland, who has been creating performances and burning things, often both at the same time, for over thirty years and on every continent apart from Antarctica.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
At University I studied philosophy and at the end of my course my professor offered me a fellowship to stay on and study Immanuel Kant. I had been offered, at the same time, the opportunity to train as a director at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland’s National Theatre.
I asked him if he would defer the offer for a year. He kindly agreed but rightly predicted I wouldn’t be back. So in some parallel world I am Dr Brian Thunder author of many clever and erudite books who gets paid to think.
Who inspires you and why?
The bulk of my work in the last number of years has been related to my job as Fire Producer for Culture Creative Ltd. We create outdoor light art trails at incredible places around the world including our Lightscape shows which have been presented for multiple years at botanic gardens in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
Keeping these fresh and exciting so that audiences keep coming back requires enormous amounts of inspiration. For me the starting point for that inspiration is always the gardens or venue itself. The most inspired creativity always occurs when it has limits around it. My best work will always be in response to the limitations of what is possible to deliver creatively and safely with fire in a specific place.
Distilling this down to an individual person I would say that I am inspired by stoic philosopher Seneca who urges us to look at the world as it is and try to improve the things that are possible. Not to imagine the way we would like the world to be and then complain when we fail to deliver something that was always impossible.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I am one of five children and growing up our mother always advised us to mind one and other. I think that is really useful advice and the world would be a better place if we all took it.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Anywhere on the west coast of Ireland from Cork to Donegal. The scenery, the people, the seafood, the live music in the pubs, black pints with creamy tops.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
I live in Glasgow and when friends come to town my favourite thing to do is to feed them.
What are you currently reading?
Apart from a list of questions from you guys, I have just come back from a holiday in France and I like to immerse myself in a Charles Dickens novel when on holiday. He creates rich communities on the page that means you have to jump in and just follow the characters. It is a brilliant way to shut out all the noise from the rest of life. This time it was Dombey and Son which actually made me laugh out loud a lot.
What are you currently listening to?
Mostly audio tracks for Afterglow – the light trail we are creating at the City Botanic Gardens for the Brisbane Festival. For most of our trails I am responsible for one fire based art installation which might account for ten percent of the overall trail. For Afterglow this has been reversed so that ninety percent of the trail will be fire.
Afterglow will involve work from international artists, a new commission from First Nations artist Shannon Ruska, and community artwork from a schools project. I have the job of making sure all of this comes together using fire and the right soundtrack. Getting this right will mean that Brisbane audiences of all ages will have the opportunity to witness a world premier event that will happen in a unique way in Brisbane and will not be the same anywhere else ever again.
Happiness is?
Sitting around a dinner table after eating a great meal and chatting. That said the happiest I have been most recently was getting married to my partner of 20 years and mother of our two fantastic children, Kayte Potter.
What does the future hold for you?
More of the same please and perhaps the opportunity to create a fire installation in Antarctica. Then I can truly claim to have set the world on fire.
Brian is the Fire Producer of Afterglow – which will be presented in the City Botanic Gardens from 5 – 27 September, as part of the 2025 Brisbane Festival. For more information, visit: www.brisbanefestival.com.au for details.
Image: Brian Thunder (supplied)