A giant heatproof man shovels the world and all it contains into the furnace. His purpose is to work, and perhaps to fuel the world by forcing it to eat itself. As he works he sings his workers song with gusto, or occasionally takes a breather to recite a monologue describing all the places he's been that couldn't fulfill him as much as his job. Should this fail, there is the synthesizer driven cheerleader dance of the robotic 'Motivational Man' to spur him on.

 

Heat Proof Man... was written in response to anxieties about a cultural trend of working for the sake of working, combined with impending environmental concerns. Originally performed live for Melbourne Fringe in 2004 with Pete as Heat Proof Man and comedian Josh Earl as Motivational Man, it was then filmed at a large abandoned Melbourne warehouse in 2005. It was also performed live as part of Four Rogues in 2008 at Melboune's Next Wave Festival. 

 

Due to commitments in other fields, the filmic outcome of this project was put on indefinite hold. Any future developments will be reported on the news page of this site.

 

Writer/Composer, Director and Maker - Pete Reid

Director of Photography/Co - Maker - Jean Brown

Heat Proof Man - Mark Testart

Motivational Man - Nathan Godkin