Ilona Schneider
Photographer and Artist with a passion for Experimental Film (8/16mm).
I learned photography as an apprentice in a traditional studio in Salzburg, focussing on portraiture, press photography, architecture, theatre and concerts, and everything else that Salzburg had to offer to the photographic lens at the time. This was followed by independent work as a commercial photographer for the next 20 years, which was all analogue at the time. Like every other photographer, the world of photography turned digital for me around the year 2000, and over the next five years I studied digital imaging and printing with Les Walkling. Digital photography was perfect medium for the commercial world. However, I never gave up analogue photography. It was an opportunity to separate my commercial work from my fine art photography, which was film photography and the making of prints. In 2009, I went to the University of Tasmania and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in 2013. My particular interests became the intersection of industry, dwelling, and landscape here in Tasmania. I had several exhibitions around Tasmania and Melbourne and a major solo show in 2018 at the Queen Victorian Museum in Launceston in 2018, Tasmania.
I started 16mm film in a course at the International Summer Academy in Salzburg (Film as sensitive body) with Melissa Dullius and Gustavo Jahn and in August 2016. I was hooked on film straight away. I bought a 16mm camera and started experimenting. As soon I was back in Tasmania, I expanded my darkroom to be able to do 8/16mm film processing and editing. In the same year I opened TopSpace Studio on the top floor of a monumental building in the CBD of Hobart, to create an art project space for independent photography and experimental film.
In 2015 Australia analogue film legends Richard Touhy and Dianna Barrie came for a screening and gave a workshop on 16mm film making. I became a member of the Artist Film Workshop collective and hosting host the biannual Zero Pixel Film Felstival at the Studio. I also offer workshops in analogue photography. We regularly invite national and international artists and film makers to exhibit, hold workshops, talks and seminars at the Studio and our darkroom.
Lara van Raay
Professional Filmmaker
https://vimeo.com/showcase/lara-van-raay
Lara is an award-winning filmmaker and the founder of the production company Small World Documentaries. She has extensive industry experience working for broadcasters such as ABC, Foxtel and National Geographic. She has worked across Australia, the UK and the Middle East where she has produced a portfolio of over 50 films. She is just as happy producing and directing as she is production managing and editing. Lara loves good hazy pales, adorable fluff balls and hairdressers that come to your house.