J HOLDAWAY (MCPA, BVA, DipAudEng)

ARTIST / AUDIO DESIGNER / SOUND ENGINEER

 

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Jeffrey Holdaway is an artist and audio engineer based in Auckland, New Zealand, whose multidisciplinary practice spans visual art, sound design, film production, and collaborative performance. With a career grounded in both studio-based and field-based approaches, Holdaway works across drawing, painting, sound recording, post-production audio, multimedia installations, and digital environments. His work is often collaborative, situated at the intersection of visual culture, performance, and sonic experimentation.

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Holdaway studied Visual Arts at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where he focused on drawing, painting, and intermedia arts. His early training developed a foundation in both traditional visual art techniques and time-based media. Following his studies, he took on the role of Intermedia Technician at Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, where he supported students working with moving image, sound, and installation practices. His experience in academic and studio environments shaped an interest in process-based and hybrid modes of artistic production.

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In addition to his visual art background, Holdaway is a qualified audio engineer. His sound practice includes location recording, studio production, live sound, post-production for film and theatre, and sound design for exhibitions and installations. This dual expertise in visual and audio media has enabled him to work fluidly across disciplines, often in partnership with choreographers, filmmakers, designers, and musicians.

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Holdaway’s visual artwork primarily involves drawing, painting, and graphic design, with a particular emphasis on watercolour and mixed-media work on paper. His drawings often appear in collaborative projects, contributing a hand-crafted and materially sensitive layer to multimedia works. One of his most significant ongoing collaborations is with choreographer and performance scholar Alys Longley. Together, Holdaway and Longley have created a number of performance and exhibition projects that incorporate analogue materials, digital tools, and performative structures.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Holdaway and Longley developed the project Let Us Drink the New Wine Together (2020–2021), a participatory and international correspondence-based work centred around hand-painted envelopes. Artists from around the world contributed letters, texts, and images, which were exchanged by post. Holdaway’s role in the project involved envelope design, painting, and layout, as well as co-creating the digital exhibition platform. The project culminated in a physical exhibition in Santiago, Chile, and a later iteration at Uxbridge Arts Centre in Auckland. It also formed the basis for online documentation and further research into embodied and tactile modes of artistic exchange during periods of social isolation.

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Holdaway and Longley’s collaborations expanded through work with the design collective DotDot (Kate Stevenson and Chris White). Projects such as Mapping Porous Borders and A Tilting Body of Precarious Maps and Migrant Constellations explored the relationships between migration, language, movement, and cartography. These projects brought together text, sound, choreography, and graphic design in both digital and physical spaces. Holdaway contributed audio elements, visual design, and technical production. Their 2024 digital exhibition What Did the Line That You Last Drew Ask You? featured integrated soundscapes and moving-image sequences, combining poetry, animation, and interactive storytelling.

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Holdaway’s career in sound design began in New Zealand’s independent film community. In the early 2000s, he worked with director Florian Habicht on the feature film Woodenhead (2003), which employed a post-synchronisation technique whereby the entire soundtrack—including dialogue—was recorded and produced before filming. Holdaway was responsible for capturing and mixing the key sound elements that contributed to the film’s distinctive surreal tone. He also worked as a sound recordist on Habicht’s acclaimed documentary Kaikohe Demolition (2004), a portrait of a small-town demolition derby culture. These projects helped establish Holdaway as a sound artist attuned to both narrative and experimental approaches to audio.

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Since then, Holdaway has continued to provide audio production for short films, documentaries, and digital media projects. His work includes field recording, Foley, ambient sound design, music editing, and multichannel installation audio. He has contributed to soundtracks for theatre and dance productions, and has developed sound compositions that accompany poetry and movement performances. His ability to integrate audio into layered visual and performative contexts is a consistent feature of his practice.

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In theatre and performance, Holdaway contributed sound and visual design to the production Mistranslation Laboratory, a performance work led by Longley that examined multilingualism, gesture, and the poetics of error. The piece toured internationally and was developed in collaboration with poets, dancers, and visual artists. He also worked on the project H U M A T T E R I N G, a hybrid performance-installation developed with DotDot and Longley that explored themes of place, language, and environmental vulnerability through a blend of live performance and multimedia elements.

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In 2022, Holdaway co-founded the music project Harbour Board with actor and singer Matthew Sunderland. The band blends folk, art rock, field recordings, and spoken word. Holdaway serves as producer and audio engineer for the project, overseeing all aspects of recording, mixing, and mastering. Their 2024 debut EP, The Strays, was independently released and received attention for its atmospheric sound design and poetic structure. Holdaway’s production approach incorporates environmental sounds, layered acoustic instrumentation, and subtle electronic textures. The group’s music was also used in the 2025 podcast The Rainbow Warrior: A Forgotten History, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Greenpeace ship in Auckland Harbour. Holdaway’s work on the soundtrack reflected a continued interest in narrative-driven soundscapes and historical memory.

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Beyond his collaborative work, Holdaway maintains a solo art practice, with a focus on drawing and watercolour.

 

He publishes work online, where he shares ongoing visual experiments, reflections on process, and documentation of exhibitions. His drawings are sometimes exhibited independently or incorporated into publication-based art projects. He also occasionally directs short videos, music clips, and digital pieces that explore the relationship between gesture, sound, and abstraction.

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Holdaway’s contributions have appeared in exhibitions, festivals, and performance platforms across New Zealand and internationally. His work was acknowledged in Stella Brennan’s Dirty Pixels exhibition (Artspace, 2002), an early showcase of digital and time-based art in Aotearoa. More recently, he contributed music to Auckland Live’s Digital Buskers programme and co-curated events and installations presented by Auckland Council and academic institutions.

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Holdaway’s role as a collaborator and technician has often placed him in the background of collective work, yet his influence is present in the design, sound, and visual coherence of many projects within the New Zealand independent art scene.

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Throughout his career, Holdaway has remained engaged with experimental practices across mediums, particularly where visual art, sound, and performance intersect. His approach values process, materiality, and the interplay between analogue and digital forms. His work continues to evolve through collaborations with artists, musicians, designers, and performers, contributing to a diverse array of creative outputs in Aotearoa and beyond.

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Jeffrey is based in Auckland, New Zealand and has a Masters in Sound Recording and Design and a Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts.

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Audio Producer and Sound Designer: Soundtrack production, music & sound design.

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Live Sound Engineer: Primarily contracted for Auckland Live on a huge number of events ranging from theatre production & concerts to conferences & conventions since 2007, but also contracted freelance for special events and touring.

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Sound Recording Engineer: Location and studio sound on a huge range of NZ film productions.

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Digital Art Technician: Content creation and assistance for fine art installation.

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Graphic Artist: InDesign layout creation, photography and watercolour for visual art publications.

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Sound Design Tutor: Within various tertiary programmes.

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