ART1: Creative Foundations

This archive forms part of ART1 Fine Art Photography’s wider living record of creative practice by Raymond Mather.

Before photography became my primary language,
movement was how I learned to see.

Through performance, choreography, teaching, and production, I developed an understanding of timing, space, structure, relationship, and presence, principles that continue to shape my photographic work today.

This archive documents the foundations and evolution of that creative life across dance, theatre, film, education, exhibition practice, and live production, forming an integrated professional record developed over several decades.

It is not a complete record. It is a curated archive of formative and defining projects that informed everything that followed and continue to underpin my creative and professional practice.

 

Explore the Archive

Letters and Appreciation
Selected Credits
Archive Journal
Curriculum Vitae

Creative Continuity

Beginning in the 1970s through dance and theatre, and evolving into photography and curatorial practice from the late 1990s onward, my work reflects a continuous exploration of movement, place, presence, and connection.

Across regional, national, and community contexts, this practice has engaged with cultural organisations, galleries, educational institutions, councils, and independent collaborators, contributing to a wide range of creative and social projects.

This archive reflects that continuity, documenting both visible outcomes and the quieter processes that sustain long-term creative work.

 

Selected Foundation Projects

Wallflowering

Zootango Theatre Company, Peacock Theatre, Hobart

Appeared as featured ballroom dancer alongside Sonia Kruger in the original Hobart season of Wallflowering by Peta Murray, directed by Mary McMenamin.
Archival material includes official programs, promotional posters, contemporary press coverage, and personal correspondence from the playwright.

Strictly Ballroom

Feature Film

Assistant Choreographer, Dance Tutor, and Performer.
Worked directly with Baz Luhrmann and Faith Martin, supporting principal cast performance and coordinating ballroom dancers for the film’s production.

Dead Caesar

The Chasers, Sydney Theatre Company

Choreographer for Dead Caesar, a satirical stage production by The Chasers, presented at the Sydney Theatre Company.
This work bridged political satire and physical theatre through movement-led storytelling.

Role Models

Northcott Society, Sydney Wentworth Hotel Ballroom

Creative Director and Choreographer for Role Models: Celebrating Women’s Achievement, a major gala event recognising leadership and community contribution.
The project combined movement, staging, and visual presentation within a formal civic setting.

Cr8Studios

Founded by Raymond Mather, Cr8Studios operated as an independent gallery and community arts hub in Coffs Harbour from 2011 to 2012, delivering exhibitions, education programs, and award-winning community initiatives through a professionally curated, artist-led framework.

Tanks Art Centre, Cairns

During the formative operational years of Tanks Art Centre, developed and delivered exhibitions, installations, education programs, and large-scale community events across curatorial and community arts practice.

Letters and Appreciation

A curated archive of personal letters, institutional records, and reflections documenting how this work has been received, trusted, and valued across decades of creative practice.

 

Selected Credits

View earlier theatre, screen, and movement productions created prior to ART1 in the additional archive, Selected Credits.