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Kenn BUSHBY

This photograph is a collaboration between Lehan Ramsay and Kenn Bushby, 1987 for an exhibition at john Mills National

BIO

Kenn BUSHBY was born in Boonah, Queensland in 1960. Kenn studied Visual Art and Performing Art at the then entitled DDIAE and lived,
on and off, in Brisbane throughout the 1980s.

 

In the mid 1980s, he worked as an independent fashion stylist collaborating with photographers Andrew Campbell, Peter Kent and Lehan Ramsay, jeweller Barbara Heath and clothing label Bellower. He co-produced event/nightclub projects Crux For Pleasure with Donald Holt and Scott Clifford, and Swell with DJ Jane Grigg.

 

In 1988, Kenn moved to Tokyo and worked as collection stylist for Ritsuko Shirahama and collection accessory designer for Kansai Yamamoto. After two years he returned to Brisbane and partnered with Chris Feld to design, style and produce Glamourpussy. Significant collaborators were garment cutter Daniel Healy, jewellery designer Tom Burless, choreographer Gil Douglas and photographers Paul Goldsmith, Tony Falloon and Andrew Lee.

The top floor of the GP studio at 45 Adelaide St (Chasm) included work spaces accommodating Tom Burless, Sheridan Kennedy, Lehan Ramsay and Lindy Stokes. During this period, Kenn worked as art director and costume designer with dance/performance crew 78 Tourette (later Dance Camp), directed the Masakazü collection parade at the Queensland Art Gallery (with fashion coordinator Georgia Straughan and technical director Tim Gruchy), styled images for photographer Ray Cook and worked on various projects with Lehan Ramsay. He also collaborated with Jo Forsyth on a series of art and performance workshops for community arts associations Hands on Art and Access Arts.

 

More years in Japan followed and after returning to Australia in 1997, Kenn designed costumes for various film and television projects and for many years created costumes for drag performer Tobin Saunders aka Vanessa Wagner.

 

Since the late 2000s, he has worked, and continues to work, in the area of theatre costume for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Opera Queensland and Brisbane Powerhouse.

 

 

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/kenn-bushby

 

 

 

Art Practice Keywords:

Designer (Fashion), Stylist

 

Artist Role Keywords:

Art and design

Collaboration/ Collaborator names Keywords:

Belltower, Glamourpussy, Lehan Ramsay, Sally Hart

 

Collections

Various Private Collections

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