Our People

Robin Fox is a leading Australian audio-visual artist working across live performance, exhibitions, public art projects and designs for contemporary dance. His laser works which synchronize sound and visual electricity in hyper-amplified 3D space have been performed in over 50 cities worldwide. The new manifestation of this work RGB LASER SHOW premiered at Mona Foma 2014 (Hobart) and recently featured at Tramway (Glasgow), Vivid Festival (Sydney) and the Barbican (London). His groundbreaking work with Chunky Move Dance Company has contributed to the work Mortal Engine receiving a Helpmann award for best visual production and an honourable mention at the the illustrious Prix Ars Electronica 2009. Other works with Chunky Move include Gideon Obarzanek’s Connected, Antony Hamilton’s Keep Everything and Stephanie Lake’s Aorta. His recent sound work Interior Design: Music for the Bionic Ear in association with ANAT and the Bionic Ear Institute, was shortlisted for a Future Everything award in the UK 2011 and selected by the Paris Rostrum of Composers in 2012.

In the visual arts he has exhibited works at the RoslynOxley9 (Sydney), Centre for Contemporary Photography (Melbourne), Gallery of Modern Art (Brisbane) and Salamanca Arts Centre (Hobart) as well as galleries in Germany, Taipei and New Zealand. His interactive installation CRT;Hommage to Leon Theremin received an honourable mention in the National New Media Art Award 2012 and has been acquired by the Australian Synchrotron. The recent work Colour Organ had it’s first installation at MONA Hobart.

Public art projects include designing and building a Giant Theremin for the City of Melbourne, a seven metre tall interactive musical sculpture; the White Beam project commissioned by Dark Mofo which shot a high powered white laser beam through the trees on Salamanca lawns; developing a hybrid sound/dance work A Small Prometheus with Stephanie Lake involving fire powered kinetic musical sculptures which had a sell-out seasonat the 2013 Melbourne International Arts Festival and sound/light design for Lee Serle’s SYNC at the Lyon Opera Ballet. A new work ‘Transducer’ for microphones, speakers and percussionists co-composed with Eugene Ughetti was recently premiered at Totally Huge New Music Festival in Perth.

He has collaborated with some of the world’s leading improvisers and directors from Anthony Pateras, Jon Rose, Jerome Noetinger, Oren Ambarchi and Lasse Marhaug to Gideon Obarzanek, Antony Hamilton, Lucy Guerin and Stephanie Lake. He has released numerous sound works on labels across Europe, Australia and the US and recently released a limited digital edition of a new AV work Magnetic Trap through s[edition] in the UK.

He also holds a PhD in composition from Monash University and an MA in musicology which documents the history of experimental music in Melbourne 1975-1979.

The work of Melbourne practitioner Byron Scullin explores the technological representation and amplification of sound as well as its properties as a physical presence. Operating in an ambiguous space where sound transitions into noise, Scullin’s sonic environments offer an experience of mass and multiplicity, often representing attempts to hear the unhearable.
After an interest in synthesis at a young age, Scullin was mentored by producer and composer Francois Tetaz. He has since been involved in almost all aspects of audio in his twenty year career, contributing sound to feature films such as Wolf Creek, contemporary dance productions by Lucy Guerin, Gideon Obarzanek, and Lee Serle, and theatre works by David Chisholm, Chamber Made Opera, and Arena Theatre Co. He has created installations for museums and galleries - including Creation Cinema as part of First Peoples at the Melbourne Museum - and produced, engineered and mastered numerous Australian and international recordings. He also works as a sound educator at RMIT and Melbourne University.
A prolific collaborator, Scullin has worked closely with audio-visual artist Robin Fox and video artist Daniel Crooks, as well as Australian composers Anthony Pateras, Marco Fusinato, and Oren Ambarchi. He’s also helped realise sound for notable international artists including Bernard Parmegiani, Tony Conrad, and Steven O’Malley.

Tamara brings to MESS 20+ years’ experience working in the arts and community sectors, where she specialised in realising ambitious creative agendas in diverse contexts. Recently returned from a 15-year tenure in the UK where she managed the studios of the artist Antony Gormley, Tamara played a pivotal role in driving business expansion and diversification for one of the world's most successful living visual artists. She collaborated cross-culturally to deliver projects, exhibitions and tours across more than 20 countries, with a particular focus on participatory and freely accessible public projects including the highly regarded One&Other. With a background in festivals, music, and community broadcasting, she passionately advocates for the transformative power of the arts and strives to make creative opportunities accessible to all.

Xavier O'Shannessy brings to MESS a wealth of experience as a producer and theatre maker. Prior to joining MESS, he held producer roles at Terrapin, Bureau of Works and City of Melbourne. He’s worked across live theatre, experimental practice, public art, social-impact projects, schools tours and major events.
Xavier holds a Graduate Diploma in Business (Arts and Cultural Management) from Deakin University and has undertaken professional actor training in Australian and the USA. With a strong understanding of the arts sector and a diverse range of experience, Xavier is adept at realising ambitious creative agendas.

Tess has worked in programming within the Melbourne music industry for over six years, and has experience in both managing administrative operations and event production. Her appreciation towards music is centred in the community it generates, and she strongly believes in the importance of supporting the work of community-focused organisations and programs.

Margarita has worked across various roles in the Melbourne music industry, from communications and events to touring, social media and beyond. Storytelling is at the heart of her work, using language to bolster music’s transformative potential and spotlight underground communities. As a producer and sound-maker, Rita brings an artist’s perspective to her role at MESS – where she focuses on development, fundraising, and content – and is passionate about MESS’s vision of accessible electronic sound creation for all.

Nikki is a multidisciplinary creative with a background in digital production, communications, and learning design. With experience leading content-driven projects and working with diverse teams, she brings a thoughtful, systems-aware, and people-centred approach to her work. Nikki enjoys learning about communication theory, systems thinking, cybernetics and electrical circuitry and is looking forward to expanding more at MESS.

Sam is a hobbyist-turned-professional service technician with a focus on electronic music instruments and equipment. With a background in AV, live music and theatre, Sam has been able to turn a lifelong interest in electrical sound into a career and is proud to be part of team working with the amazing collection at MESS.

Shadi Habash brings over 20 years experience to MESS, specialising in serving the arts sector by providing support and assistance to art organisations when dealing with their tax affairs. Paxinos & Hasbash aims to empower artists and arts organisations by offering specialised accounting services that ensure compliance, optimise tax strategies, and maximise financial stability. Working at the intersection of tax and the arts, Shadi strives to be a trusted partner, guiding clients through the intricacies of tax regulations and financial management.

Tony Osmond is also one of MESS’s main benefactors and a founding philanthropist in terms of the collection of instruments that he has made available to MESS. Tony is passionate about the arts and particularly music. He is an accomplished pianist and has had an obsession with synthesisers since he was 15 years old. He is Managing Director and Chairman of Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory, Australia and New Zealand at Citigroup.

Tony has over 25 years’ experience in large and complex mergers, acquisitions and capital markets transactions in Australia, advising many of Australia’s largest companies and private equity firms.
Tony is a Director of The Australian Ballet and a member of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel. Prior to his career in investment banking, Tony practised as a lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills in Melbourne.

Tony was a Director and Acting Chair of Orchestra Victoria before it was acquired by The Australian Ballet in 2014, and is co-founder of SynthTemple.

Kristen is the Portfolio Manager – Australia and a Senior Investment Manager at Omni Bridgeway Limited, a leading global litigation finance and legal risk management company. Kristen oversees Omni Bridgeway’s Australian investment portfolio and investments team in addition to managing a range of funded claims. Prior to joining Omni in November 2015, Kristen worked in Slater and Gordon’s Commercial and Project Litigation team from 2008 with a practice focused on corporations law matters and financial services disputes. Kristen has extensive litigation experience and brings key skills to the project management aspects of complex litigation. Kristen has previously worked on a number of successful class action matters and large scale out-of-court settlement schemes with major Australian banks. Prior to joining Slater and Gordon, she worked at Dundas & Wilson (now CMS) in Scotland and as an Associate to the Supreme Court of Victoria’s Associate Justice Efthim. In 2004 she was awarded the Victoria Law Foundation Chief Justice’s Medal for Excellence and Community Service. She graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2005 with a Bachelor degree in Law (Honours) and Arts.

Michaela Coventry’s career as an arts producer spans 25 years and all artforms. With Sage Arts she works with many independent artists and companies including: Jo Lloyd, Gail Priest, Lee Serle, Harrison Ritchie-Jones, Matthias Schack- Arnott and Musica Viva Australia.
In demand as an executive producer for organisations and as a creative producer of interdisciplinary work, Michaela has worked with many of Australia’s most exciting arts organisations, including The Substation Lucy Guerin Inc, Speak Percussion, Marrugeku and The Performance Space. Michaela is highly regarded as a board member and member of funding selection panels. Work in this area has included: MESS Board, APHIDS, New Music Network Board, Dancehouse Board, PACT Board, Ausdance NSW Board, City of Yarra Room to Move Panel and YAARTS, Creative Victoria advisory panels and Australia Council funding panels including Going Global, APAM, Dance Fund and Playing Australia.

Erica has worked in financial services, the music industry and in the not-for-profit sector. She has spent three decades as a professional DJ playing vinyl across the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. Locally she pioneered Bass Music (UK Garage, Dubstep and Grime) in clubs, through her radio show Underground Flavas on 3RRRR FM and music distribution business Show Pony Music. Currently based between Europe and Australia, she is as a fundraising advisor and writer (she has written three plays and one book). An alumna of Swinburne and Victoria Universities, she graduated with a Master of Business (Marketing) degree and Doctor of Business Administration. Erica is a Fellow and board director of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (Oceania) and an official spokesperson for the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League.

Ching Sii has over 15 years of experience in professional services as a Chartered Accountant, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne. Ching excels in management, financial and tax accounting in anticipation of different challenges with the vision to add value to organisations. Ching has developed a specialisation in the specific areas such as variance analysis, consolidation, balance sheet reconciliations, CAPEX and cash flow management. Most recently, Ching has aided organisations with implementing their complex corporate structures and obtaining various newly announced government subsidies. She brings her business, tax and accounting expertise to help improve the reliability and confidence in financial statements so that organisations can make more informed decisions for their ongoing viability and success.