Dominique has a B.Ed in drama/dance/philosophy from Deakin University (Rusden). Working, directing, devising and performing with masks led to his ANU doctoral film/thesis “masked corroborees of the northwest“. The thesis, grounded in northwest Australia, looks at a range of corroborees that incorporate the use of masks. It concerns performance objects that connect bodies to country, cultural knowledge and ancestors. Masks also reaffirm the political status of people in their country. Dominique worked with Dr. Lyndon Ormond-Parker and Professor Aaron Corn on an Australian Research Council (ARC) project from 2018-21 to assist the long-term preservation of Indigenous languages and culture and investigate whether health promotion and other messages in Aboriginal languages impacts on community well-being. From 2018-2021 a VicHealth grant enabled Dominique to join an international research team working on the Think Big – Multi-national digital platforms project enabling child and youth led health and well-being initiatives in Australia, Colombia, Chile and Britain.
Appointments
Expert reviewer for the Australian Research Council (ARC)
Editorial board of AusAct: the Australian Actor Training Conference
Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne
Chair, Board of Theatre Kantanka
Arts Advisor to ACT Board of Secondary Studies
Academic Senate CSU
Grants
2018-2021 ARC Indigenous Discovery Grant Aboriginal remote narrowcast TV and the audio-visual archive.
2018-2021 Think Big – Multi-national digital platforms enabling child and youth led health and wellbeing initiatives. VicHealth Sustainable Development Goals Partnerships Grant recipient.
CSU Compact Grants x 4
AIATSIS Grants x 2
Australia Council Grants x 2
Italian Ministry of Culture Language Scholarship
Research Areas:
- masked corroborees of the northwest
- Traditional Aboriginal public performances
- Performance audio-visual archive
- Motion capture and screen acting
- Jacques Lecoq acting pedagogy
- Place based acting pedagogy
- nature play
Publications
Sweeney, D., & Wright, M. (in review 2024). Think Big Wiradjuri Youth Participatory Research Project – what happened? La Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, upcoming. https://revistaumanizales.cinde.org.co/rlcsnj
Sweeney, D & Everard, D 2023, Sharing Research Outcomes with Traditional Owners. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts
Sweeney, D 2020, Stomp in Australia Fusion Journal Issue 16
Sweeney, D 2019, Introduction Tales from the Arabian Nights by Donna Abela, Sydney, Currency Press
Sweeney, D & Lewis, R 2019, Perform ‘the space’, not ‘in the space’: Incorporating place, environment and imagination in integrative practices. Fusion, 15, 85-96. http://www.fusion-journal.com/perform-the-space-not-in-the-space-incorporating-place-environment-and-imagination-in-integrative-practices/
Sweeney, D 2019, “What is the Australian National Maritime Museum Ilma collection?”, Archives and Manuscripts, pp. 1-11. DOI: 10.1080/01576895.2019.1570283
Sweeney, D and Lewis, R 2019, “Perform “the space”, not “in the space”: Incorporating place, environment and imagination in integrative practices.” Fusion Journal Issue 15
Harper, J and Sweeney, D et al 2019, “Dance like Bacteria Wonder with Me! Embracing Microbiology through Science and Art from Primary School to University.” IJISME Special Issue: When Science Meets the Arts: Bridging the Subjective-Objective Divide Part 2, 27(6)
Sweeney, D 2017, “I Wonder … Indigenous Corroborees and Masked Dances in Northwest Australia” Building Sustainability with the Arts: Proceedings of the 2nd National Ecoarts Australis Conference, Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Sweeney, D 2015, (Writer) & Dominique Sweeney (Director/Editor). Oosh Climbing. [Online video]. Shelter Building [Online video] Nature Mentors [Online video]. Getting Dirty. Sydney: Network of Community Activities.
Sweeney, D 2013, (Director) & Dominique Sweeney (Editor). Welcome – Draft Centennial Park Master Plan 2040 [Online video]. In C. Parklands (Producer). Sydney: Centennial Parklands.
Sweeney, D 2013, (Director). A Story of Chocolate [Online video]. In C. Parklands & http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/wastegrants/love-food-hate-waste.htm (Producer), From Crops to Shops. Sydney: From Crops to Shops.
Sweeney, D 2009, Masked corroborees of the northwest – “stand up in my head”. (Thesis (Ph.D.)), Australian National University.
Sweeney, D 2008, (Director). masked corroborees of the northwest [DVD]. Canberra: Centre for Cross Cultural Research. ANU.
Sweeney, D 2008, “Taking ethnographic film back.” Being There: After-Proceedings of the 2006 Conference of the Australasian Association for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. Retrieved from doi:http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2515
Sweeney, D 2007, “Alan Griffiths’ Balmarra.” In L. Seear & J. Ewington (Eds.), Brought to Light II: Contemporary Australian Art 1966–2006. Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery.
Sweeney, D 2007, Unpublished Report on the Ilma groundwork June 2007 with Bardi Elder – Roy Wiggan. Sydney, Australian National Maritime Museum
Conference and Other Presentations
AusAct Conference 2023 Interdisciplinary performance/groundwork and AusAct Federation University, Ballarat
FourW Pearl launch of the published collection of poems and short stories for the Booranga Writers’ Centre, Wagga Wagga Library, 30th Nov 2019
An introduction to masks in Australia, Performance Studies International #24 Daegu, Performance as Network: Arts, City, Culture, July 2018
Introduction to Masked Corroborees of the Northwest, 2017 Shanghai Theatre Academy International Symposium on Theatre Studies, Shanghai, China, Nov 2017
I wonder…, In between and across: mediating realit(y)ies in performance and performance ethnography Performance Studies Conference, Sydney University, Australia, 2016
I Wonder … Indigenous Corroborees and Masked Dances in Northwest Australia, Building Sustainability with the Arts, 2nd National Ecoarts Australis Conference, 2016
Mask Presentation, World Commedia dell’arte Day, Italian Forum Cultural Centre, 2016
Creative Works
Producer – Live Broadcast – Donna Abela’s “Flame Tree Street” play development workshop, 16 Mar 2018
Live Performance, Norm and Ahmed, Sweeney, D. (ERA2018 Researcher) & Lewis, R. (ERA2018 Researcher), 2018
Live Performance The Human Glove, Sweeney, D. (ERA2018 Researcher) & Lewis, R. (ERA2018 Researcher), Apr 2017
Films
Sweeney, D. 2015 Oosh Climbing, Shelter Building, and Tree Climbing Sydney: Network of Community Activities
Sweeney, D. “masked corroborees of the northwest” 47 min film screened at:
Nordic Anthropological Film Festival, Koper, Slovenia, 2009
Beeld voor Beeld Film Festival, 2008
Moscow Ethnographic Film Festival, 2008
Other Work
2012-2016 Environmental Education Teacher, Centennial Park, Sydney
• Mentor ways to be involved with the ecology of the park
• Curating and facilitating ‘Astronomy in the Park’
• Filming, editing and creating video clips on nature play
Oct 2011 – Dec 2012 Project Manager with PreviousNext – Enterprise Drupal Website Developers
• Project Manager for the Australian Film and Television School (AFTRS) Online Learning Environment (OLE)
• Project Manager of the Fred Hollows Foundation Website
Feb 2011 – Dec 2012 Drama Teacher at Wairoa Public School
Developing a program of drama and relaxation exercises with autistic and multiple disability children.
Feb 2010 – Feb 2015 Project Manager with Itchee Feet, publishers of books, ebooks and apps for kids who travel
• Project Manager of the Itchee Feet WordPress/Woocommerce and Drupal Website
• Publishing and app development
Apr 2007 – Sep 2008 Project Co-Ordinator with Thamarrurr Council, Wadeye
• Project Manager of a Cultural Project at Wadeye, NT.
• Organise performances with elders and school, archival film return, music production
1993 Camping Valon Pont D’Arc, Ardèche, France- Canoe Instructor
1980 Canoe Tours Australia (Gundagai) – Canadian Canoe Instructor and Guide
1979 PGL Valon Pont D’Arc, Ardèche, France- Canoe Instructor
1978 PGL Ross-on-Wye, Brecon Beacons – Tour Guide
