Project Coordinator

dr michael chew

Michael is a freelance community artist and social ecologist whose practice-led work explores creative, participatory processes in social and environmental contexts, with a focus on storytelling across cultural and geographic borders.

He recently completed an action-research PhD exploring how participatory photography can inspire environmental behaviour change across Bangladesh, China and Australia, and a Rotary Peace Fellowship, and runs the small consultancy Ecoimagine specialising in community-based research, creative participation, facilitation and program design.

He draws from interdisciplinary perspectives with degrees in Participatory Design, Mathematical Physics, Critical Theory, Art Photography and Social Ecology, and has run community storytelling projects across the Asia-Pacific region.

His design-based action-research PhD explored how participatory photography and other creative practices can inspire youth environmental behaviour change across cities in Bangladesh, China and Australia, and he recently completed a Rotary Peace Fellowship at Chulalongkorn University investigating distributed co-design processes with youth and environmental storytelling.

lead artist

gav barbey

Gav Barbey is a Daylesford-based interdisciplinary artist whose practice focuses on participatory and immersive movement, mark-making, and dimensional space exploration.

With over 30 years of experience, Gav works across multiple disciplines, including visual arts, theatre, and film. He holds a degree in theatre and film studies from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), specialising in production, set, and costume design.

Gav has collaborated with numerous theatre and dance companies and was a founding member of Richard Roxburgh’s ‘Burning House.’ His recent work emphasizes co-creation with the public, including projects at Hyphen Regional Gallery and ephemeral sculptures in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Gav also works within the corporate and education sectors as a nature-play facilitator, human-centered designer, ideation facilitator, and community engagement expert.

Over the past five years, somatic movement has become central to his practice, with daily dance explorations during COVID serving as a transformative element of his studio work. As a yoga and somatic educator with expertise in Body Mind Centering (BMC), Gav’s interests lie in the organic flow and symmetry of patterns. He is currently on the board and curatorial team for Radical Fields, an immersive arts festival.

Australian Artistic director

sarah taylor

Sarah’s practice has evolved from a background in textiles and ceramics. Her work is expressed through intimate, body-led processes in which her own physical presence becomes the primary medium, while natural forces collaborate with and transform the objects she creates. Experimental methods are central to her production process, allowing for authentic, responsive, and often unpredictable outcomes.

Her work explores the relationships between humans and the natural world, with a particular focus on experiences of grief, connection, and transformation. Sarah uses creative practice as a tool for reflection, healing, and engagement within both personal and community contexts.

indonesian Artistic director

irene agrivina

Irene Agrivina is a technologist, artist, and educator, and open systems advocate based in Indonesia. Irene stands as one of the founding members and current directors of the House of Natural Fiber (HONF), an arts, science, and technology laboratory based in Yogyakarta.

Established in 1998, HONF emerged amidst the social and political unrest against the nepotism and corruption prevalent during the Suharto authoritarian dictatorship in Indonesia. In 2013, Agrivina co-established XXLab, an all-female collective dedicated to arts, science, and open technology, representing the second generation of HONF’s spin-off communities.

Notably, in 2015, one of XXLab’s initiatives, SOYA C(O)U(L)TURE, received the [the next idea] voestalpine Art and Technology Grant from Ars Electronica. In 2019, Asialink—a think-tank at the University of Melbourne—selected Irene as one of six pioneering women from Southeast Asia and Australia.

Irene’s 25+ years directing transdisciplinary labs aligns with the project’s hybrid digital-physical framework. Her gender equity advocacy also strengthens the community engagement strategies and equitable artistic recruitment.

program director

dhoni yudhanto

Dhoni Yudhanto is an architect and project manager with a focus on experimental architecture and urban design.

He graduated from the Department of Architecture at Gadjah Mada University in 2013, where he developed skills in 3D modeling, prototyping, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Dhoni co-founded DORXLAB, an architectural lab focused on experimental and parametric design, and currently works at SA:LA Atelier, a consultancy he also founded.

Since 2011, Dhoni has been involved in various projects with HONFablab, including the Diamagneti(c/sm) Species at the Istanbul Biennale (2013), the Grow Kitchen Project in Pau, France (2015), and the Ungovernable Structure in Germany (2021), among others. He continues to collaborate with HONF and HONFablab as a researcher and co-worker.

Dhoni’s expertise in cross-cultural prototyping and parametric systems directly supports the project’s climate-responsive design goals. His leadership at HONF ensures visiting artists will be well taken care of through HONF residency infrastructure.

program manager

Theodora Elgavasi Putrijat

Also known as Elga or Jati, is an interdisciplinary art manager, cultural producer, and sound artist from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her practice spans visual art, music, spatial sound, performance, and community collaboration, rooted in Yogyakarta’s vibrant art scene. Her work connects ecological awareness, mental health, and immersive sensory experiences, drawing from her lifelong engagement with Javanese culture, music, and performance.

Elga studied Visual Communication Design and Art Management at ISI Yogyakarta and is pursuing a Master’s in Art Management, focusing on personal branding of contemporary artists. She has collaborated with notable Indonesian artists and has experience in exhibition production, residencies, public programs, and cultural projects within Indonesia’s independent art ecosystem.

Currently, Elga explores sound spatiality, frequency, and mental health through immersive sonic experiences that incorporate Indonesia’s natural environments. She investigates how sound influences emotion, memory, healing, and collective connection. She is also Program Manager at House of Natural Fiber, leading the Climate Future Inkubation (CFI) Program — an Australia–Indonesia initiative fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, climate awareness, and sustainable artistic practices.