Rachel Rea – Assistant Producer
Rachel is an artist, costume designer and visual communicator working in a variety of media formats including film & TV (with BBC and WB), illustration and sculpture to create immersive multimedia experiences based on scientific concepts. She merges the worlds of arts and environmental activism, informing her practice whilst also working with grassroots organizations.
Her work explores the relationship between the visual complexities of story telling and unseen behaviours. Born in , post ‘Troubles’, Northern Ireland, experiencing metaphysical contradictions within cultural identity, she developed an innate sense of curiosity for a world of ongoing struggle with equilibrium and the adversity that reforms social realities. Ever since she was an adolescent, she has been fascinated by the unrelenting divergence of viewer participation within art and performance.
How long have you been with IOU and what has been your highlight?
I joined IOU in spring 2022, so at the time of writing I’m new to the organisation. My main role is to nurture IOU’s projects such as Two Rivers, The March etc where I can be inventive and tenacious in finding new routes to funding projects and able to identify and seize new opportunities.
Tell us about your professional journey before joining IOU?
I first started in the film and theatre industries designing and making costumes, props, sets and make-up. This evolved into a career that delves into conscious environmental installation and educational platforms surrounding circularity which fits in nicely with IOU Ethos and values.
Tell us about any stand out productions or exhibits you’ve experienced that left their mark on you?
Sebastiao Salgado, London Science Museum, Nov 2021. “Amazonia” is a story of his life in South America, as a world famous photographer, noting pinnacle historical records of environmental destruction. For seven years, Salgado worked with twelve different indigenous communities to create this magnificent photography exhibition. The result is over 200 powerful black-and-white photographs that uncover Salgado’s vision of the Amazon when the forest is approaching a crucial tipping point in the fight against climate change.
It is currently showing at Manchester Science and industrial museum and will not disappoint in influencing a sensory response.