JoFF Rae
| JoFF Rae | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joffre Ray Kopu 14 October 1966 Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Nationality | Maori / New Zealand |
| Known for |
Production visuals New Media Music Graffiti Urban art Sculpture |
| Movement |
ARTIVIST Culture jamming |
| Patron(s) | Steve 'Foot' Kanuta, Graeme Nesbitt |
| Website | |
| http://www.artivist.co.nz | |
JoFF Rae is the pseudonym of a New Zealand event producer, designer & artist.
Concept design & event management; Creative Director & Technical Director with Urban Arts entity ARTIVIST : creative by any means necessary!; produced various projects in New Zealand & Internationally.
Present roles in production & contracting; & contract Creative Director, Impresario & Producer.
Recent work has involved development of performance contract models based on the Nash Equilibrium & concept production values using 'Propaganda of the deed' ideology; production & contracting for Salmonella Dub,[1] a popular New Zealand band; Agent, Curator & Producer for renown artist Mike Weston & the Weston Frizzell collaboration with Otis Frizzell; & developing practical production models based on a venue the James Cabaret.
Presently in a Creative & Producer role with arts and entertainment company th'ink+[2] working projects & management for the entity; & facilitating an arts studio with Artists in Residence including Sheyne Tuffery, HAHA (Regan Tamanui, Melbourne) and Nelio (FR).
Background
With a background in the 80's & 90's as a stagehand & sound engineer touring with bands in New Zealand, Australia & Europe, JoFF Rae worked with several artists & promoters on large scale productions while developing an interest & skill in New Media & design. During the 90's his role was redefined to Production Manager & Line Producer; later still to Technical Director & New Media developer; he commuted from Wellington, New Zealand to Melbourne & Sydney for various works in UK, Europe, US & Australia.
In 2001 JoFF Rae (under the nick RuBbErDuCk[3]) worked with teenage hackers from Australia & Canada on IRC network AustNet to demonstrate media streaming & broadband for Southern Cross Cable with an installation SXPress Cafe[4] at Internet World, NOW2001 & CeBIT as 2Xstreams PTY contracted to Jack Morton Worldwide. An award winning project the exhibition was a practical & unique demonstration of streaming media on demand (several years prior to YouTube & Vimeo).
Later, in 2004 he established AgentC Guerrilla Media as an urban arts collective to develop artistic productions & urban arts projects; the entity was responsible for recordings with Emma Paki; youth & community event concepts; the formation of !@M3 Sk8 (Lame Skate & BMX Jam incorporated); & funded & produced a nationwide tour by New Zealand band Rhombus in 2008.[5]
ARTIVIST : creative by any means necessary! was established in 2009 to "work with artists on art…".[6]
Art and protest
As a youth JoFF Rae was involved in protest action motivated by artistic causes & social politics; he was employed in the late 80's in the UK by OXFAM & by Greenpeace in New Zealand in the early 90's. He has had direct involvement in high profile clandestine actions & protests involving cultural, environmental & social issues. High profile actions against French Nuclear Testing at Moruroa involved an active direct role in Bastille Day demonstrations & clandestine direct actions against the French Embassy in Wellington when a test was conducted.
In December 1990 JoFF Rae organised & participated in a "dramatic" protest action by disturbing the New Zealand Parliament for over 20 minutes & eventually dropping to the floor of the debating chamber from the gallery covered in horse blood demonstrating against sending troops to the Persian Gulf.[7][8][9] JoFF Rae instigated several other peaceful protest actions with large scale demonstration marches in Wellington against the Gulf War with up to 10,000 marchers. Other actions involved graffiti in prominent places throughout New Zealand using the slogan "No Blood For Oil" in red & black.
In 2005 JoFF Rae was committed to a maximum security mental institution, a ward of the Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre, for 2 weeks over Christmas following a 6am raid & arrest by the Armed Offenders Squad after repeatedly protesting Police actions involving allegations of assault & misconduct. He faced several charges in the dispute which were eventually dropped. A diagnosis from the hospital stated "his delusions of grandeur have substance".
After the 2007 New Zealand anti-terror raids JoFF Rae provided resources for protests at the Rotorua Court House for initial charges against Tame Iti & other accused including video equipment to document the proceedings & actions. He edited video as a presentation for peoples in the Urewera mountain range near the town of Ruatoki where the raids occurred. JoFF Rae continued to provide practical support including production for events in the Tuhoe nation with artistic performances by Mau Dance Company & other arts projects.
Mayday Demonstrations, 1 May 2011, JoFF Rae was involved in coordinating & disseminating information & media including a video message from the internet activist group Anonymous to the New Zealand Parliament.[10] The message was taken seriously & gained nationwide press.[11][12] Several reports claimed the Government website had suffered intermittent failure.[13]
The months leading up to March 2012 with the trials of Tame Iti and the Urewera 4 inspired a series of projects with Ha-Ha the prominent Melbourne based stencil artist[14] and a campaign of "watch this space - Guilty of ART!//" statements in street art, graffiti and installations.
Art, production and concept development
JoFF Rae has developed unique templates & concept models for IP management, contracting & producing events. His work with shared profit & the Nash Equilibrium in contracting production & performance is unique & has been utilised in several successful event contracts.[15]
He has produced idiosyncratic staging & visual production & content systems for works with the contemporary band Rhombus & fine artist Michel Tuffery MNZM,[16] Strike Percussion, Mau Arts Forum, AWME (Australasian World Music Expo) & various commercial & private installations.
Personal
Born Joffre Ray Kopu on 14 October 1966 at Hamilton, New Zealand.
His partner since 1992 Audrey Holyoake is a collaborator as a producer & graphic artist in their artistic & commercial ventures. The couple have 3 children - Cole (Jan '94), Oscar (Dec'94) & Bram (July 2000) & with 3 cats they reside in Wellington, New Zealand; JoFF has other children - Zoe O Ella (March '92, entrepreneur, student & artist, Wellington, NZ) & Shorsha Bae (Sept '89, Medical Doctor, Glasgow, UK).[17]
References
- ↑ Salmonella Dub - http://www.salmonelladub.com
- ↑ JACOB Industries Limited - Company number: 3344572 Incorporation Date: 19 Apr 2011 - http://www.think.net.nz
- ↑ RuBbErDuCk Austnet server - toy.rubberduck.co.nz - http://dravix.stormloader.com/home.html
- ↑ SXPress Cafe : http://www.southerncrosscables.com/public/News/newsdetail.cfm?StoryID=62
- ↑ Rhombus tour - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0810/S00245.htm
- ↑ About ARTIVIST : creative - http://artivistcreative.wordpress.com/about/
- ↑ http://www.vdig.net/hansard/content.jsp?id=20707 DEBATE---URGENT PUBLIC MATTER : Commitment of Military Personnel to the Persian Gulf, Wednesday, 5 December 1990
- ↑ published - front page The Evening Post, Thursday 6 December 1990
- ↑ http://www.vdig.net/hansard/content.jsp?id=23644 PARLIAMENTARY OFFICERS---LEAVE TO ATTEND DISTRICT COURT
- ↑ http://sub.artivist.co.nz/anonymous-message-to-nz-parliament - ARTIVIST : sub rosa blog entry
- ↑ Pullar-Strecker, Tom (27 April 2011). "Hackers threaten Parliament's website". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ↑ "Threat to bring down Parliament website taken seriously". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ↑ http://www.amarjit.info/2011/04/new-zealand-parliament-website-down.html - Thursday, 28 April 2011 New Zealand Parliament Website Down: Anonymous Suspected of Taking Down Kiwi Gov Website
- ↑ http://make.artivist.co.nz/guilty-of-art-the-movement-starts
- ↑ ARTIVIST : contracting based on the Nash Equilibrium "We modeled the contract at a couple of gigs earlier this year & it went well… since then a major festival has picked up the idea & it was essential in securing acts" says JoFF Rae of the contract…; http://artivistcreative.wordpress.com/2010/08/02/artivist-contracting-based-on-the-nash-equilibrium/
- ↑ Mau Arts Forum - Pinata: "Pinata is an innovative collaboration, bridging the gap between the mediums of live music performance from Rhombus and live projection imagery created by one of New Zealand's leading artists Michel Tuffery"; http://gigs.nzherald.co.nz/2009/mar/auckland-west/pinata-presented-by-rhombus-michel-tuffery
- ↑ http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/work/resumes/36358-joff-rae