Dan Koop
Board of Management
Dan Koop is a Producer and Artist working in public spaces and unusual places. Professionally, he has commissioned, developed and presented touring works for contemporary multi-artform festivals and venues. Creatively, he makes performance works in unusual and public spaces that engage audiences to become participants. Dan is the Creative Program Producer for Melbourne Fringe and holds a Masters of Public Art at RMIT University.
At Melbourne Fringe Dan is responsible for the Creative Program of Fringe produced events and the Artist Development Program for emerging artists. The 2016 Creative Program included Fringe commissioned Sky Light by Robin Fox, a city-scale sculpture and sound installation using 16 lasers and more than 50 CBD buildings, White Beam also by Robin Fox, the Kids vs Art podcast by Field Theory co-presented by Arts House, Bellbird by Polyglot Theatre and Fringe Furniture’s 30th anniversary exhibition. The 2016 Artist Development Program for emerging artists included Info Sessions, Creative Workshops, Compass mentor program and the Tour Ready program that connects Fringe artists with Victorian and interstate presenters. Previously, Dan was the Producer of Theatre Works’ ENCOUNTER(S) program of intimate performances for the inaugural 2014 Festival of Live Art; a Project Manager for the 2010 Sydney Festival; a Producer at Brisbane Powerhouse; and an Assistant Producer at BAC (UK), including the immersive BAC/Punchdrunk Theatre co-production The Masque of the Red Death.
Creatively, Dan has created collaborative works presented in unusual locations around Australia and the UK. At the 2016 Festival of Live Art Dan devised a one-on-one performance in a room of the Sofitel hotel for Hotel Obscura by Triage Live Art Collective. Prior to this Dan developed 360° (2014), a digital site specific audio walk created in collaboration with artists in both London and Brisbane, for the Going Nowhere arts and environmental festival at both Arts House (AUS) and Cambridge Junction (UK). At the 2012 Next Wave Festival Dan and collaborators premiered The Stream / The Boat / The Shore / The Bridge, a live public artwork along and across the Yarra River that was awarded a Melbourne Greenroom Award for Outstanding Production – Creative Agency for Audiences. The work has since been presented at the 2013 Junction Arts Festival, Launceston and showcased at the 2014 Australian Performing Arts Market, Brisbane.