Researcher Profile

Dr Penelope Trotter

Faculty of Education and Arts, National School of Arts

Areas of expertise: fine art history; drama; performance art; activist art; video art
HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Not accredited
Phone: +61 3 9953 3617
Email: Penelope.Trotter@acu.edu.au 
Location: ACU Melbourne Campus

Penelope Trotter is a lecturer, feature writer for fine art journals and a performance artist working in the realm of photo-media. Key issues being explored in her current research are Surrealist fantasy fulfilment and its relation to notions of performativity. Recent artwork concerns itself with the concept of withheld knowledge created by historical phantoms, exploration of measures required to reclaim this knowledge, and an overriding desire to effectively become the “Other.” 

Select publications

Exhibitions/performances

• The Movement, Hi God People Collaboration, Make It Up Club, 21st Birthday Festival, January, 2019. 
• Poly-geograhic= library + school of elegance + birth home + roads Victoria, Hi God People Collaboration, Strange Neighbour Gallery, 2016.
• The Winner Takes It All: An Epihany, at The Castlemaine Festival "Hi God People and Action Unit" event, The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine, 2015.
• Time Has Stopped, Hi God people musical contribution to "60 x 60" as part of the Australasian Computer Music Association conference at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, July 2014.
• Adam Simmons & Gelareh Pour/Hi God People/Carolyn Connors/Dave Brown and Clinton Green, Hi God People Performance at Conduit Arts, Melbourne, March 2014.
• Split Self, Hi God People performance in "Experimental Universe: Re-nactments and Imaginings," as part of "War is Over: (If you want it)," Yoko Ono Retrospective, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, curated by Joel Stern, 2014.
• Clak Clak! Julian Williams and Hi God People collaboration, Slopes Gallery, Fitzroy, December 2013.
• Untitled, Hi God People Musical performance collaboration, in "Now Hear this," as part of "Melbourne Now," curated by Emily Siddons, National Gallery of Victoria, November 2013.
• Immigration Panorama, performance and installation as part of Fixed Human Type, curated by Foolish Goats (Sophie Perillo and Malcolm Lloyd), Top Shelf Gallery, Melbourne, 2013.
• Untitled, Hi God People performance for Laptops, Costumes, Pedals and Projections: Issues for live performance of experimental, drone and noise music, at More Talk Less Action, curated by Greg Wadley and Clinton Green, Westspace Gallery, 2013.
• Abstract Election, Hi God People performance/music collaboration, 3CR Radio, Melbourne, 2013.
• Looking for Charlie, solo exhibition at C3 Contemporary Art Space, Abbotsford Convent, 2013.
• How to Dance like a 1950s Robot Teacher, Arte Padova international Art Fair, video art piece, Padova, Italy,  2012.
• Looking for Charlie, solo exhibition at Artegiro gallery, Montefiascone, Italy 16 &ndash 26 November, 2011.
• The Hi God People Biscuit Launch: a Golden Performance, as part of "Open Up," a week of performance curated by Malcolm Lloyd, Kings ARI, Melbourne, 2011.
• Beautiful Volcanoes, group exhibition curated by Michael Vale, Monash Faculty Gallery, 2011.
• Fantasy Fulfilment and the Invisible Provocateur, PhD show, Monash University, 2011.
• Overground, performance collaboration with the Hi God People and Dylan Martorell at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, 2011.
• The Hi God People and Person/Dog, As part of Dylan Martorell’s studio residency and exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, 2011.
• See the World, Switchback Gallery, Group show of internationally exhibited work, August 2010.
• Troubling Revelations, Artegiro Gallery, Monetfiascone, Italy, Group Show, July 2010.
• Home Sweet Home, ACU Staff Show, December, 2009.
• Autumn Salon, Gippsland Campus Staff Show, curated by Rodney Forbes, April, 2009
• Club Visit, Kings AV Gallery, video piece and performance installation, December, 2008.
• Australie: Myth et Realitie and Australia Mito e Realta', two group shows curated by Renata Summo-OConnell from AILAE, Foundation Maison des Sciences des Homme, Paris, and Rocca dei Papi Montefiascone, 2008.
• In Praise of Blandness, curated by Domenico DeClario, Faculty Gallery, Monash University, Caulfield, 2008.
• Electric Valley Studios 2007, Switchback Gallery, Gippsland Centre for Art & Design, Churcill, 2007.
• Narcissus of Liberty, mixed media installation and video performance solo show, Linden Gallery, St.Kilda, 2006.
• Ode to Bowie: The Male Jouissance Thing, in A Lot of Love Goin&rsquo Around, curated by Christian Thompson, RMIT Project Space/Spare Room, Melbourne, 2006.
• How to Dance Like a 1950s Robot Teacher, solo video show, Kings Gallery, Melbourne, 2004.
• Automaton: The Scientific Management of Clean Logic, video, Westspace, Melbourne. 2003.
• Egg Faced Girl, photograph of performance, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney. 2002.
• Untitled, Up in Smoke, performance based photograph,  group exhibition, Citylights, Hosier Lane. 2001.
• Andy and the Planet Factory, performance art piece, Melbourne International Biennial opening party, Melbourne, 1999.
• Etiquette vs Depravity - The School of Elegance 1953, live performance art piece, TheBridge - Construction in Process, International art exhibition, Melbourne, 1998.
• Lascivious Space Models, (Collaboration with Douglas Brook), Go Go Gallery, Northcote, 2008.
• Cold Romeo, The Subterranea Banquet,  live performance  art piece, Platform Art Project, Spencer Street Station, 1997.
• Steward/Stewardess (Collaboration with Douglas Brook), Poll, a group exhibition, GoGo Gallery, Northcote, 1997.
• Steward/Stewardess (Collaboration with Douglas Brook), Display group show, Platform Art Project, Flinders Street Station. 1996.
• The Headless Spaceman Hits Planet Earth, Display group show Platform Art Project, Flinders Street Station. 1996.
• Person/Dog, "The Puppy Parade," staged as part of the Jeff Koons Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Buleen, 1996. 

Projects

Gallery and public talks

• 'Laptops, Costumes, Pedals and Projections: Issues for live performance of experimental, drone and noise music', at More Talk Less Action, curated by Greg Wadley and Clinton Green, Westspace Gallery, 2013.
• 'Looking for Charlie', artist talk and performance screening Monash University, Prato, Saturday, 19th November 2011.
• 'A Club of One’s Own: Aristocracy and the Path to Bohemia', talk as part of International Women's Day debate, It is 100 years since she got the vote and she still folds the socks and jocks, for Australia Post, and Food for Thought, Greek Australian Women’s Network, 2008.
• 'In Light of the Darkness', Gallery talk, Anita Traverso Gallery, 2007. 

Accolades and awards

• 2007 - Postgraduate Research Travel Grant to attend PSI#13 conference in New York and to execute current art piece in Times Square, Monash Graduate Research School.
• 2006 – 2009. MGRS scholarship award for Phd Scholarship at Monash University. 

Appointments and affiliations

• 2011-2023: Visual Arts Lecturer and Course Coordinator, Bachelor of Visual Art and Design, ACU, Fitzroy. (Full time – Lecturing in Art History, Sculpture, Drama and Cultural Practice.)
• 2004-11: Art Theory Lecturer and Tutor, Monash University Centre for Art and Design Gippsland, Monash University Department of Art and Design, Caulfield, 2004 - 11. (Sessional, Full and Part Time. First, second and third year subjects.)
• 2009: Art Theory Lecturer, ACU (Sessional - First and second-year subjects); Art Theory Lecturer, Catalyst Clemente through Mission Australia and ACU (Part time).
• 2003-4: Art Theory Lecturer, Latrobe Street School of Art, Melbourne, 2003-4 (Part time).
• 2001: Drama and English Teacher, Traralgon Secondary College, Traralgon (Full time).
• 1998: Curator, “A vs K on Air.” First Site Gallery, RMIT (Freelance).
• 1997: Curator, “Subterranea Banquet.” Platform Art Project, Flinders Street Station (Freelance).
• 1996: Coordinator, Platform Art Project, Flinders Street Station (Freelance); Curator, “Performance Art in the Age of Technology.” Linden Gallery, St.Kilda (Freelance).

Public engagement

2003-current: Freelance feature writer, various art magazines including Artlink, Art Monthly, Leggendaria (Italy), Art and Australia, CAST, Like Magazine and Craft Arts International.