Estelle Asmodelle

Estelle Asmodelle

Photo courtesy of Estelle Asmodelle.
Born 22 April 1964
Bowral, New South Wales, Australia
Other names Estelle Maria Croot
Website
www.asmodelle.com

Estelle Asmodelle (born 22 April 1964), formerly known as Estelle Maria Croot, is an Australian model, belly dancer, musician, activist, inventor, abstract artist and academic. She is known as Australia's first legal transsexual with the Births, Deaths and Marriages Department of New South Wales,[1] and her transition helped gain recognition for transgender people in Australia.[2] In 1986, she was labelled "Australia’s First Sex-Change Pin-up Girl".[3] She is said to be the most photographed transsexual in Australia today.[4]

Early life

Born in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia, and raised in Berrima, Asmodelle is the first child of Barry and Sylvia Croot. Her name at birth has not been disclosed. She has a sister, Belinda. She attended Chevalier College (then a boys-only school) and Moss Vale High School, where she frequently won first place in various subjects. When she was 16 years old she became seriously ill with spinal meningitis and spent almost one year in hospital. She used a wheelchair for some months and made a complete recovery.

After working briefly in Sydney, she moved to Wollongong and attended Wollongong University where she studied towards two degrees, a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Mathematics, with the hope of becoming a research scientist. As a student she also worked in music ensembles, such as N-lettes and Miscellaneous Music[5] composing and playing experimental and sometimes avant-garde musical art.

During the university period she experienced discrimination by members of the academic staff because of her transsexuality.[6] For this reason, she left the University to focus on art and music. She became a dancer, believing that dance was the true artistic synthesis of art and music.[7]

Dance career

After leaving University, Asmodelle worked briefly as an assistant photographer, while attending dance classes at Sydney Dance Company and also with an Authentic Egyptian Dance instructor. Six weeks after starting belly dance classes she gained work as a dancer.[8]

As time passed she worked in many shows both in Australia and Asia. She was typically featured as the variety act for such shows as Esma Duo, Paris by Night, Las Vegas Under Lights and Les Girls.[9] She returned to Australia and worked as a solo belly dancer.

Activism

During Asmodelle's dance career she traveled to Asian countries and had to face many legal difficulties, especially in Singapore where she was detained, because her passport denoted an M (for male). She suffered serious problems with various customs officials and became determined to change the laws in Australia so as she could live a life of a normal woman. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade policy was to issue passports bearing the gender designation F only to those transsexuals who could demonstrate that they had completed sex reassignment surgery.[10]

Asmodelle continually sent letters and requests to the Attorney's General's Department of the Australian Government and eventually received confirmation that her requests were answered.[11] Others had also been lobbying for changes to the New South Wales government, especially the Attorney-General of N.S.W., for the right to amend birth certificates. Asmodelle was asked to go to the NSW Department of Births Deaths and Marriages and have her birth certificate amended. It was the first such amendment, making Estelle Asmodelle the first Legal Transsexual by recognition of the new name in the new gender.[12] Months later, as a result of this action, passport sex designation was allowed to be amended as well. A year later Asmodelle lobbied for anti-discrimination laws to be amended and also for the state hospitals ethics boards to allow research into ectopic pregnancy for sex-change women.[13]

Career

After a media storm during that period she decided to focus on her career. However her appearances were very extensive including hundreds of newspapers articles, and hundreds of magazine articles, including Cleo (May 1987), People (Nov 1985 & 1993), Post (Dec 1988 Sep 1992), Penthouse Forum (1986 & 1991), New Idea (March 1986), She (July 1996), New Woman (June 1992 & 1998), Naughty Sydney (Cover – November 1991), Tomadachi (June 1991), Wellbeing (May 1989 & 1993), and Nature & Health (November 1997).

She made more than 100 radio interviews and dozens of television appearances in Australia and Japan as well, including Where Are They Now? (Channel 7), Sex/Life (Channel 10 TEN), Midday Show with Kerri Anne (Channel 9), World View (NHK Japan), Beat Takeashi (NHK Japan), Good Morning Australia (Channel 10), Day by Day (Channel 9), Vox Populi (SBS), A Current Affair (Channel 10), Midday Show with Ray Martin (Channel 9), and Terry Willisee Tonight (Channel 9).

Film work

After the media attention she garnered considerable publicity in Australia, but decided to live in Japan for a period of four and a half years, where she worked as a model 1988-1992.[14] It was there that she made her film debut, a walk in and walk out part, in a film by Japanese director Yoshimitsu Morita. It was made for the local Japanese market and never made it out of Japan. On returning to Australia, her next film was The Enchanted Dance, a documentary film about authentic belly dancing. It went international on video but was not released on DVD.[15]

Filmography

Previous films:

Modelling

Earlier on in her modelling career she became "Australia's First Transsexual Pin-up"[17] by appearing nude in Australian Playgirl. Unlike the US version of the magazine, the publication featured girls and not men, and it was the first time a transsexual had appeared nude in a mainstream magazine in Australia.[18] Estelle Asmodelle was the face of the Supermodel Agency in Australia; she was their spokesman and main model during 1996-2000.

Abstract art

Estelle started painting abstract pieces from early childhood and while at Wollongong University, started creating large canvases. Her first solo exhibition was at Wollongong Regional Art Gallery, (now called the Wollongong City Gallery).[19] During her varied career Estelle continued to paint and exhibit, and while living in Japan also exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum [20] as part of the UNESCO International Friendship Exhibition in 1991. Estelle also started the Tokyo Eki (train station) Exhibition, displaying and selling her work in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Tokyo.[21]

Estelle was also involved in group shows in Los Angeles, at the Los Angeles Center For Digital Art LACDA.[22] Since returning to Australia, Estelle has continued to exhibit in both solo exhibitions in Sydney and country NSW, as well as in group shows, one example is the Redfern Artist Group.[23] Her work has been exhibited in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney and regional NSW.[24] Estelle has had numerous solo shows and participated in over 100 group shows, and her art website details some of her work at 'Abstract Artist'.[25]

In 2010 Estelle published her first art book, entitled: "Transience".[26] In 2014 there is a second book, going to all online and selected bookstores, entitled: "Esthetic in Abstraction."

Career change

While modelling in Japan, Asmodelle also worked for several large Japanese technology companies as a technical consultant, these companies were: Mitsubishi, Nachi-Fujikoshi, NSK and Nippon Seiko K.K. It was the start of a career change, returning to an academic life. During that time, she developed several new technology patents. Asmodelle's patents in the Croot name,[27] and Estelle's patents in the Asmodelle name:[28]

Upon returning to Australia Asmodelle continued her technical consultant work alongside her modelling and painting. Then in 1998 she formed her own internet company, Ellenet Pty. Ltd. Calling on background in computers. According to media reports, Asmodelle has become something of an internet entrepreneur[29] and continues to build a significant online presence.[30]

Since 2005 Asmodelle has also been recording composition of electronic music. Many music magazines feature her CDs and often write reviews such as a review in Evil Sponge.[31] Perhaps her fame has assisted Asmodelle's music career - in any case - there is continuing publicity about her activity, two examples are: Vents Magazine[32] and Urban Mainstream Magazine.[33]

Then in 2008 Asmodelle returned to academia, studying at the University of Central Lancashire in the field of astronomy.[34]

Music and writing

Asmodelle has worked in film career and has also written an autobiography, 'Anaesthetic Dream'.[35]

To date she has written one book – which is still seeking publication:

She has also written two screenplays, which have not been optioned at this time:

Working as a musician Estelle Asmodelle, simply goes under the name 'Asmodelle', while there is also an electronic music website that offers her compositions as well.[36]

To date she has released seven albums, and two new pending releases, most are available at iTunes, Amazon and most other online outlets, while her website also said they were released physically:

In early 2011, Asmodelle was signed to a major music distribution label: 'Blue Pie Records' as a featured artist, for world wide distribution of her albums.[37] but during early 2013 she moved over to Mondotunes distribution.

She is a featured artist on Triple J's Unearthed as well.[38] And many of her albums appear on iTunes,[39] CDBaby,[40] and Amazon.[41] In 2014 she released 5th Album Grooveatropolis, through Mondo Tunes world wide: Asmodelle on Mondo Tunes.[42]

Academia

Asmodelle published several papers with the peer-reviewed Journal of the Institute of Science and Technology.[43] Between late 2010 to mid 2011 she joined the part-time staff of Cosmos as a science writer, in the field of physics/space, and published six articles. The first of were 'Neptune's day measured to the second'[44] and 'The Milky Way is a galactic cannibal'.[45]

Five academic papers published by Asmodelle during 2010–2012 are:

Asmodelle is an active student member of the Institute of Physics in the UK, a full member of the Newcastle Astronomical Society, a student member of the Australian Society for General Relativity & Gravitation, and runs her own astronomy and cosmology blog, 'Relative Cosmos'.[51]

During late 2011, as a result of Asmodelle's Cosmos magazine articles, several astronomical societies asked her to give presentations on astronomy and cosmology. She has given four presentation each since on areas such as 'Cosmology and the role of the General Theory of Relativity,' 'GAIA: the Dawn of High Precision Micro-Arcsecond Astrometry,' and 'Water on the Moon'. Some of the societies in question are Newcastle Astronomical Society (NAS),[52] Sutherland Astronomical Society,[53] and Astronomical Society of New South Wales.[54]

In early 2013 Asmodelle became a Fellow of the Institute of Science and Technology IST.[55] Additionally, in May 2013 the Express Advocate published an article about an introduction to cosmology[56] Asmodelle was running at the Central Coast Community College on the Ourimbah campus of Newcastle University, in the Central Coast of NSW.

In June 2012 Asmodelle became a Member of the Australian Society of Gravitation and General Relativity (Estelle's listing on ASGRG[57]), and in May 2013 also became a Member of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (ISGRG).

References

  1. ↑ The Daily Mirror (Australia) Newspaper 13 October 1987
  2. ↑ Highlands Post Newspaper 10 January 1986
  3. ↑ Australian Playgirl Magazine for men, May 1986
  4. ↑ The Sunday Times May 1986
  5. ↑ Australian Illawarra Mercury Newspaper, 15 May 1982
  6. ↑ Highlands Post (Australia) Newspaper Friday, 21 October 1987
  7. ↑ Nature & Health Magazine (Australia) November Issue 1997
  8. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Newspaper May 1986
  9. ↑ Australian Post Magazine, 3 December 1988
  10. ↑ Polare Magazine, Issue 82, 2005
  11. ↑ Australian Illawarra Mercury Newspaper, 14 October 1987
  12. ↑ Australian Highlands Post Newspaper 21 October 1987
  13. ↑ Australian Daily Mirror Newspaper 9 October 1987
  14. ↑ Penthouse Forum (magazine)|Forum Vol:2, No:1, 1991
  15. ↑ Star Observer newspaper (Australia), 12 July 1996
  16. ↑ Ai to heisei no iro – Otoko (24 Hour Playboy) On IMDB
  17. ↑ Australian Truth Newspaper, 30 November 1991
  18. ↑ She magazine (Australia), 13 June 1996
  19. ↑ Wollongong City Gallery website
  20. ↑ Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum website
  21. ↑ DAAO Artist Database
  22. ↑ Los Angeles Center For Digital Art LACDA website
  23. ↑ Redfern Artist Group web reference
  24. ↑ Arts Bark Nov 2008 Issue 41 - page 3 web page
  25. ↑ Abstract Artist web page
  26. ↑ Art Book: Transience Art Book at Amazon
  27. ↑ Estelle's patents
  28. ↑ Estelle's patents
  29. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Newspaper 26 February 2008
  30. ↑ Brisbane Times article
  31. ↑ Evil Sponge 2010 review
  32. ↑ Vents Magazine 2010 article
  33. ↑ Urban Mainstream February Issue 54 2010 article
  34. ↑ Estelle Asmodelle on Academia
  35. ↑ Anaesthetic Dream
  36. ↑ Asmodelle's Music
  37. ↑ Featured Artist: Asmodelle
  38. ↑ Triple J UnEarthed
  39. ↑ Asmodelle on iTunes
  40. ↑ Asmodelle on CDBaby
  41. ↑ Asmodelle on Amazon
  42. ↑ Asmodelle on Mondo Tunes
  43. ↑ Journal of the Institute of Science and Technology
  44. ↑ Asmodelle, Estelle (4 July 2011). "Neptune's day measured to the second". COSMOS magazine. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  45. ↑ Asmodelle, Estelle (18 July 2011). "The Milky Way is a galactic cannibal". COSMOS magazine. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  46. ↑ The Controversy over the Presence of Water on the Moon 2012
  47. ↑ Origins 2: The General Theory of Relativity 2012
  48. ↑ Origins: The Special Theory of Relativity 2011
  49. ↑ Australian Telescopes: a Retrospective 2010
  50. ↑ An interview with Professor Lawrence M. Krauss. 2010
  51. ↑ Relative Cosmos
  52. ↑ Newcastle Astronomical Society
  53. ↑ Sutherland Astronomical Society
  54. ↑ Astronomical Society of New South Wales
  55. ↑ Institute of Science and Technology IST May 2013
  56. ↑ Express Advocate article - Introduction to Cosmology May 2013
  57. ↑ Estelle's listing on ASGRG

External links

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