Not Yet It’s Difficult has a unique presence in Australia’s contemporary arts culture as a maker of contemporary artworks, a research unit and a producer of cultural happenings. Our mission is to incite narratives of enquiry in the minds of our publics with the desire to engage them viscerally, intellectually and humorously about ideas, politics, art and the human condition.
Working under the artistic direction of David Pledger, Not Yet It’s Difficult (NYID) is one of Australia’s leading independent, interdisciplinary arts outfits widely recognised as a pioneer in the development of contemporary and experimental arts practice. Founded in 1995, Pledger along with dramaturg Peter Eckersall and production manager Paul Jackson formed the core creative team.
In the first five years, our efforts concentrated on applying a methodological approach to the research, development and making of physical performance with an emphasis on working with artists across culture, race and gender, a commitment that has sustained over more than two decades of practice. Over the next five years, NYID focused on the integration of media in live performance followed by a period dedicated to screen-based visual arts projects in which a performative element was integrated into the artwork through low and high-tech, and sometimes, interactive modes of presentation. During this time, NYID produced almost 40 local, national and international projects including original performance works, plays, public space events, television and screen-based installations.
Over the last decade, the dynamic has been more distributed. The company’s diaspora is extensive, and artists have been invited to lead and participate in specific projects including process-based research, site-specific happenings and public art events. A number of these have featured long-time company associate, actor-director, Todd MacDonald, social impact producer, Alex Kelly, co-curator of the collaborative futuring practice, The Things We Did Next, and more recently, Yorta Yorta/Wurundjeri actor-curator and longstanding collaborator, Tony Briggs, developing a narrative-based, technology-focused platform of projects.
These development streams are not mutually exclusive; they flow in parallel and often intersect causing change and evolution, developing an oeuvre which is both distinctive, innovative and adventurous. Ours is a dedicated dramaturgical approach that has placed NYID at the forefront of global conversations about artistic practice, politics and activism. It is ideas-led and not restricted by artform boundaries.
From inception, we positioned ourselves as an ‘idea’ with a global view. We have created international collaborations and longstanding partnerships to create new works and present existing ones by forging significant relationships in Asia, the UK and Europe which have brought into Australia many new artists, companies, ideas and practices.
We acknowledge the symbiotic relationship between creation and producing and contend that an artistic process requires a flexible producing philosophy that customises its operations to serve that process. This demands a resourceful, strategic and ethical funding approach that reflects the diversity of artforms with which the company engages and the values it represents.
The heart of NYID lies in our artists and collaborators, those who have embraced and shaped our artistic adventures, and whilst too many to mention, we acknowledge your curiosity, courage and collaboration, and look forward to many more.
An award-winning contemporary artist, curator, producer, writer and thinker operating at the intersection of the performing, visual and media arts, David is Not Yet It’s Difficult’s founding Artistic Director. His live performances, installations, interactive artworks, documentaries, digital art, ideas and discursive events have been presented in books, journals, magazines, museums, galleries, arts centres, a city car-park, an abandoned stables, hotels and a suburban house in locations across Australia, Asia and Europe.
Peter is Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York and was co-founder/dramaturg of Not Yet It’s Difficult. His most recent publication is Curating Dramaturgies (with Bertie Ferdman, 2021) and recent dramaturgy includes Everything Starts from a Dot (Sachiyo Takahashi, LaMama), Phantom Sun/Northern Drift (Alexis Destoop, Beursschouwburg, Riga Biennial).
Mark Atkin is an Australian editor, filmmaker, producer and the CEO of film and television production company, Uncut Pictures. He has worked on documentary, feature film and television drama receiving national industry awards for The Slap (ASE 2012), Mrs Biggs (AACTA, 2014) and Stateless (AACTA, 2019). Mark has been associated with most of NYID’s screen-based projects as an editor, advisor, collaborator and consultant.
Natalie has a history in arts and communications, working nationally and internationally in dance, choreography and curation, as well as producing and project management with Not Yet It’s Difficult, Next Wave and Dancehouse. Nat is currently studying Environmental and Conservation Science and aims to work as an ecologist in natural resource management.
Tamara is a performance-maker, director and dramaturg working across and between artforms who creates works for theatres, galleries and public spaces. Since 2017 she has been the Artistic Director of Chamber Made, a Melbourne based arts company operating at the intersection of contemporary performance, sound and music.
Ying is an architectural designer and Design Director who is interested in the intersection of art, design, technology and space. She has worked in London, Tokyo and Melbourne. Ying has been Not Yet It’s Difficult’s company secretary since 2014.
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