James Dive
AUDIENCE ATTENTION
A restless, award-winning creative who is continually presenting ideas to mass audiences, James Dive, based in Brookvale, talks big art and the world of experiential creativity.
Writer: Doug Clarke
AUDIENCE ATTENTION
THE world has finally caught up with James Dive. We are now all comfortable with the idea of the multidisciplinary artist. Everyone seems to be a slashie these days, so James’ path of constant evolution and his cultural/ commercial shapeshifting make total sense.
James is the artist behind the iconic melted ice cream van (“Hot With The Chance Of A Late Storm”), a crowd favourite at Sculpture by the Sea. He says, “That was my tribute to the Australian summer, and was my first go at the world of public art. After that, everything changed.” With a career in advertising, he has helped create advertisements, films, installations, and events for big brands, including Samsung, Netflix, Tiger Beer, Kenzo, and Ancestry.com. His business, Studio Dive, has won international awards at D&AD, Cannes Lions, One Show, and AWARD. His works are included in publications such as Art Forum, Art & Australia Magazine, Wallpaper*, Monocle Magazine, and the Creative Review.
Other notable art works produced by James include a 25-tonne excavator buried by itself (“It Wasn’t Meant To End Like This”), a temporary outdoor photo studio in the heart of Sydney where over 17 days, 6,435 people were photographed in formal group photos with fellow strangers (“Us”), a 4 x 4 metre installation created using the entirety of a real-life demolished amusement park (“Once”’), and a fully-furnished family home which rains inside over a 30-day period, with the public invited to walk through the house as water rains down (“I Wish You Hadn’t Asked”).
His combination of art and advertising creativity provides a shifting capability to move between culture and commerce and to bring them together. He captures attention and connects with a large audience in both areas. He loves to share his ideas with a mass audience.
Initially, James was going to be an architect, but at the eleventh hour moved to graphic design, studying Design in Visual Communication at UTS.
NEAR AND FAR
“I am so excited about where experiential is going and what we are doing in this new frontier...”
After university, he worked as a graphic designer for a few weeks before pivoting via the AWARD School into the world of ad creation—coming up with creative ideas for brands. He states, “I have always prioritised the idea above everything else. Getting paid for coming up with ideas and getting these ideas to an audience quickly was ideal for me.”
Ideas are the engine for everything he does. James says, “To earn attention, you need to put the effort in,” and to do this, he carries a notepad around where he writes down ideas continuously, with the good ones getting an asterisk. Idea generation happens every day and is treated like a job. In his Brookvale studio, he likes to work with headphones on, listening to background piano and ‘80s synth music, which provides white noise to his thoughts.
These ideas must be delivered, and he can draw on an extensive network of experienced producers and makers from his advertising work. Three particular skills are required to deliver he says: “be able to build a good team around an idea – people who know how to produce; be good at articulating an idea to bring people along with your vision – keep it short and make every word count; and be autonomous – run your own show and be able to do everything yourself, as and when required.”
With Studio Dive and his ongoing working relationship with production company Scoundrel, he is set up to do everything he wants: public art projects, creative direction of advertisements, and experiential creativity projects.
Experiential marketing is an increasingly popular way for brands to connect with customers through place-based experiences such as pop-ups, installations, and events. Held in-person, often with digital components, these experiences engage the senses, creating an emotional and memorable response. Experiential creativity is James’ sweet spot: “I am so excited about where experiential is going and what we are doing in this new frontier of creativity.”
James continuously manages a portfolio of projects and is currently developing a project for VIVID. From the City of Sydney, he has the title of “Creative Director of Christmas.” He has been appointed the lead design studio responsible for transforming Christmas in Sydney over the next few years. The journey ahead is equally exciting, as he plans to deliver more projects overseas, particularly in the US and UK, and continue taking his creativity into new areas as experiential continues to evolve.
studiodive.co
@studiodive_
