MPavilion (24 01 24)

Elaine Chia
Chief Executive Officer

‘I love how MPavilion brings together architecture and design both in physical form and conversations that invite curiosity, interspersed with art in playful adventure. It’s incredibly thrilling to create a place and in it moments that are offered freely to every person in Melbourne and beyond.’

Elaine is an arts leader, advocate and producer with over 20 years’ experience in senior roles in the performing and visual arts across venues, festivals, touring and cultural infrastructure projects. Her previous roles include Executive Director at the Adelaide Festival, CEO at Sydney’s City Recital Hall and Director of International Signature Projects at the Australia Council for the Arts delivering as public-private partnership projects the Australian representation at three Venice Art Biennales and the redevelopment of the Australian Pavilion in Venice, Italy.

Rose Harriman
Program Producer

‘For me, MPavilion at once brings to Melbourne’s table a globally relevant architecture, design and arts dialogue, while also existing as a broad and humble offering: to witness something beautiful, to see how it impacts you, and to participate in approachable, refreshing and thoughtful moments. In this city where public space is a uniquely manifold topic, I love that MPavilion shifts the landscape in a physical and temporal – yet sustainable, collaborative and enduring – way.’

Rose is a producer and arts manager with a background in major festivals, performance and visual arts, commissioning and arts admin. Before she moved to Melbourne from the UK, she worked on exhibitions and in theatre venues in London. What gets her up in the morning is working with cultural practitioners to realise deeply felt collective experiences, no matter to what scale or genre they appear to belong. She has a devotion to problem solving and generally making things happen!

Paul Duboc
Associate Producer

‘MPavilion is a continuum with public space which brings together all layers of urban explorers, design academics and undetermined city dwellers. It is a place set aside from the beaten path, where unexpected connections thrive and the conversation can keep going.’

Before moving to Australia in 2023, Paul worked in France, Brazil and Japan within various public and private cultural organisations as a project manager and creative producer. He has collaborated with practitioners from all horizons and specialises in collaborations with an international focus.

Gabriela Holland
Administration Manager

For me, MPavilion immediately conjures all the very best i adjectives: inclusive, inspiring, inviting, iconic, impassioned and intimate.’

Gabriela has dabbled in many fields across many continents throughout her career. Her prior roles have included Operations Manager at architecture practice Fieldwork, producer on large-scale film productions in Peru and Bolivia, and over 10 years as an ESL teacher. She also has extensive experience in editing and translation and has freelanced for various publications, including Assemble Papers, Le Cool Barcelona and Moon Handbooks in Peru.

Paulie Douglas
Site Operations Manager & Music Programmer

‘MPavilion is such an important civic space – one that allows for the free exchange of conversation and ideas. Working here allows me to actively collaborate with a group of humans around some of the biggest cultural questions facing our city today.’

A legend of the Melbourne arts scene, Paulie has been a member of the MPavilion family since 2016 – starting in the front of house team before moving into the role of Site Operations Manager & Music Programmer. In between MPavilion seasons, he can be found enjoying the quiet life in Castlemaine or flexing his event management skills at Golden Plains, Meredith Music Festival and Rising Melbourne. Wherever he is, he brings positive vibes, good music and an inimitable wardrobe.

Tom Abud
Production Manager

‘As a space that facilitates connections, foments ideas, and gives expression of Melbourne’s identity – our ethos, our people, and our imagination – MPavilion has become a landmark in Melbourne’s cultural vista. Having spent years in the melting pots of Melbourne’s creative events, MPavilion is another exciting opportunity to immerse myself in the culture that so inspires me’

Tom’s production management experience runs through Melbourne’s Festival calendar. From White Night, Melbourne Fringe Festival and Melbourne Writers Festival, through to Melbourne International Comedy Festival, he has helped stage events that give Melbourne its unique creative identity. In between times he has established an independent music venue, instigated a street festival, run front of house in theatres, and absconded from Melbourne to join festivals in Adelaide and New Zealand.

Monica Alfaro
Administration Coordinator

‘A warm afternoon people watching, an hour in quiet reflection, a morning laughing and making – my favourite MPavilion moments are everyday, made memorable by the splendid backdrop. Each MPavilion waits to confront, engage and encompass those of us seeking respite, connection or to satisfy our curiosity.’

With a formal background in architecture and varied experience in project management and post-production, Monica is happiest when problem-solving. An avid maker and lifelong learner, she has most recently worked on community, craft and exhibition initiatives.

Andrew Atchison
Education Manager

‘I am always surprised and excited by the contrasting approaches that selected architects bring to each MPavilion. As an initiative, it represents a unique opportunity for students, as a showcase for contemporary design practices and a growing archive of architectural works within the City of Melbourne. Each year, I have observed MPavilion celebrate architecture and allied design in a way that inspires and connects communities.’

Andrew’s work in education focuses upon the power of the direct encounter with works of architecture, art and design. His pedagogical approach involves providing learners with opportunities to experience new and unfamiliar forms and ideas within a supportive environment, with the goal of stimulating curiosity, experimentation and inquiry. Andrew is especially interested in public spaces as dynamic sites that reflect – through their combinations of architecture, design and art – the unique communities to which they belong. He has worked with students across early learning, primary, secondary, tertiary and adult education contexts.

Eliki Reade
Program Coordinator

‘Being a generalist producer, it’s exciting to be part of the team at MPavilion, which has a broad and rich public program involving all the things I’m interested in – from music and dance, art and craft, architecture and design to macro, city-level thinking and responsiveness to the world around us. It’s great to be a part of this depth of thinking.’

Eliki Reade is an interdependent producer and artist of Kailoma-Fijian heritage. Eliki works with many forms of storytelling and the ways it is creatively embodied – engaging with work that centres the practice, creating critical connection. They wear multiple creative hats, including Program Coordinator at MPavilion, Co-Instigator with Lana Nguyen for A Climate For Arts, a collaborator with Big Four Holiday Camp – Aaron Claringbold, Jack Mitchell and Rebecca McCauley, amongst many other personally fun and exciting projects and loves.

Bradley Kerr
Program Consultant

A Quandamooka man and architect living, working and learning on Wurundjeri Country, Bradley is Director of Naarm-based architecture and design studio Winsor Kerr and a member of the Australian Institute of Architects’ First Nations Advisory Committee and Victoria Chapter Council. He has contributed to the industry as a juror for the Institute’s awards program, guest university critic and studio leader, speaker and moderator on numerous panels, advisory and working groups and committees. Bradley has written for publications through ArchitectureAU.

Wominjeka (Welcome). We acknowledge the people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which MPavilion stands. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present – and recognise they have been creating, telling stories and caring for Country for thousands of generations.

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