- Biography:
Jacob is a descendant of the Daly River people, West of Darwin, and has spent the last 20 years living, working and creating in Sydney on Eora country. He graduated from the NIDA Design Course in 2005. In 2010, he designed the set for of earth & sky for Bangarra and received a Green Room Award for Best Design in Dance. He was appointed Artist-in-Residence at Bangarra the following year, and then Bangarra Head of Design through February 2023.
Jacob has designed sets for Bangarra’s annual productions since 2010, including Dark Emu, Bennelong, Patyegarang, lore, OUR land people stories, Terrain, Blak, and Warumuk – in the dark night. In 2018 was awarded a Helpmann Award for Best Scenic Design for his set design in Bennelong.
In 2019 for Sydney Festival, Jacob created the work ALWAYS, a large scale artwork that became the backdrop for The Vigil and the Wugulora Ceremony.
Jacob was also the Production Designer and Co-Creature Designer for Cleverman Season 2; was the Production Designer for Stephen Page’s 2015 film SPEAR; and has been the Design Director for Bangarra’s five Vivid Sydney video installations on the Harbour Bridge Pylon. He is a Board Director of Belvoir St Theatre and a Creative Artist in Residence at Sydney Festival. His other theatre credits include Ruben Guthrie, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train and Yibiyung (Belvoir St Theatre); Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare); Wonnangatta, The Long Forgotten Dream, TheRemovalists, Tusk Tusk/Like a Fishbone (Sydney Theatre Company), Black Ties (Ilbijerri Theatre Company).
- Awards:
- 2018 - Helpmann award for Best Scenic Design, Bennelong
- 2011 - Green Room Award for Best Set Design, Artefact