ABOUT

McCuskey's art is cinematic, multilayered film using archival, found and captured moving image. She uses screen language of the half-dark, overlay and blur to reflect her long-sightedness (hyperopia). Working at the intersection of cinema and art, she explores themes of feminisms, memory and death. Known for her use of muses, she explores the idea that joy is resistance and that expressing culture through dance is a way to protect our hard won freedoms.

McCuskey's love of the moving image grew from lounge-room screenings of family films created by her father. The youngest girl of a large Irish immigrant family, she studies the once prohibited Gaeilge (Irish language) and Irish mythology to understand concepts of home and belonging.

“Film artist Erin M McCuskey's work is indeed one of Australia's great 'unknown pleasures' ... fusing analogue film (created and archival), music, dance, literature, theatre and a visual artist's perspective into digital cinematic works that are firstly sensual and delightful, and secondly resonantly poetic and deep." (Bill Mousoulis - Unknown Pleasures).

In 1989 she established the award winning creative media agency, Yum Studio, with partner Mick Gwyther. An audience engagement partnership connecting people with ideas.

News

Showcase 2023 - on Vimeo

Retrospective 2023 - 'Dancing Shadows - A Retrospective' tour of Ireland and the UK

Retrospective 2023 - 'Dancing Shadows - A Retrospective' Unknown Pleasures, Australia

Creative Fellow 2023 - 'Come Home Project' Regional Arts Australia

Creative Projects Fund 2022 - 'Come Home Project' Creative Victoria

Patronage Established 2022 - Minerva Institute of Older Women

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Please contact Yum Studio for Comment, Commissions and Collaboration.

CV

International Retrospective (Ireland & UK)

Selected Screenings:

Unknown Pleasures

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)

Melbourne Women in Film Festival

White Night (Ballarat)

Museum of Australian Democracy

Flickerfest

Indiefest

Gertrude St Projection Festival

Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

Download CV

Commissions

2022 Ballarat Cemeteries - Disco Wake

2022 Pop Consortium - Test Pattern

2021 Bronwyn Blaiklock - Intimacy in Isolation

2020 Anderson Family - Large As Life

2020 City of Ballarat - Yearning

2020 Finlayson Family - Dorothy

2019 City of Ballarat - Murrup Laarr

2019 Ballarat International Foto Biennale - Wendouree (Hello Foto)

2018 Linda Franklin - Civic Film Series

2018 David Atkins (White Night) - Random Number Generator

2017 David Atkins (White Night) - Do Not Go Gentle

2017 Finucane and Smith - An Indelicate Performance

Awards

2022 Buninyong Film Festival - Large As Life

2021 Melbourne Women in Film Festival Selection - Experimental Shorts

2018 Setting Sun Film Festival Rouge Programme - Twirl de Lux

2017 Setting Sun Film Festival Rouge Programme - Luxville Prologue

2016 Accolades Festival Award of Merit - Luxville Prologue

2016 CLIFF2016 Second Place - Silver Rememberings

2012 Victorian Women’s Shilling Award - Women in ICT

2011 Indiefest Award of Merit - Normal

2009 Ballarat Enterprise Business Award - Yum Studio

2008 Antenna Award Best Interview Show - No Limits

2008 Antenna Award Best Editing - No Limits