Meeting Adelaide // Jonathon Oxlade

Jonathon Oxlade is a multi-award winning Film and Theatre Designer. We went for a drive together, rode the merry-go-round at Semaphore and ate fish and chips on the beach.

Meeting Adelaide is an ongoing portrait series where I connect with, photograph and interview Adelaideans. I returned to Adelaide in 2023 after 10 years away, this is my way of re-acquainting myself with the people, places and stories of this city.

WHO : Jonathon Oxlade (AKA, Jox) is a multi-award winning Film and Theatre Designer and a wonderful, kind, brilliant and super creative person. He is constantly inspiring me not only with his work, but with the little snippets of life and travels that he posts to instagram; the way he decorates his home; the way he dresses; the kindness he shows towards strangers; the list goes on. You may be familiar with his various film, TV and theatre projects from around the country; including one of my favourite Australian made films, Girl Asleep, as well as the many other Adelaide productions that have come out of Windmill Theatre.

WHERE : Semaphore Esplanade and the Largs Bay Kiosk.
Semaphore beach is one of Adelaide’s finest, in my opinion, and during the summer school holidays it hosts the Semaphore Foreshore Carnival. Permanently situated on the Esplanade is the Semaphore Merry-go-round (carousel), built in 1928. We sat on the beach with fish and chips, and went on an adventure to find a yellow and blue kiosk which we eventually located, and discovered to be the Largs Bay Kiosk (and it was closed, wahh!).

How do you describe what you do for work? A lot of people don’t know what a production designer does. We build the world for a film, TV series or stage production. So my job is to create or find the sets, the props and sometimes the costumes for stage and screen. 

What’s your relationship to Adelaide, when did you move here?

I grew up in Rockhampton, studied art in Brisbane and started working in theatre, making sets for people. Then I moved to Melbourne because there’s a lot more work there for what I do. After staying in Melbourne for a while, I ended up getting lots of work in Adelaide because I started working with the Windmill Theatre company. We made a feature film in 2015 (Girl Asleep) and so I moved here. I thought ‘why not!?’. There’s so many great people, I can ride my bike around, and I love it. 

What do you love about Adelaide? 

It’s so close to the many great beaches and the green Adelaide hills are all around. It’s like it’s actually Australia's best kept secret. I just like to explore. And it’s a good place to explore. It’s really beautiful in that sense, you can just go for a drive and end up somewhere completely different. It’s a really peaceful place. 

Do you think Adelaide has a great art scene? Or is that just something people say? 

I think it has. What’s interesting about Adelaide right now is that Film and TV is really hitting its stride, there’s a lot happening and so the rest of the nation and world is looking at it differently. It’s starting to be seen as a place of making rather than just presenting because of the festivals. So film and TV is booming here and I think it’s because it’s close to some of the most beautiful and interesting locations in Australia.

Favourite Adelaide Spots?

I really like Cafe Troppo actually. I live around the corner and I love going there for a coffee and a snack if I’ve got time. And The Scenic Hotel in Norton Summit. They do a really good roo schnitzel. 

What’s next for you?

I’m off on some adventures overseas shortly. I’ve lined up some residencies in Portugal, Sweden and Greece where I’ll spend some time working on my artist books and experimenting with printmaking. Looking forward to visiting some places on my wishlist in between the making. It’s time to fill up my eyes with new things to bring back home.

You can check out Jox’s impressive work here.

Thanks for checking out my photography! I’d love to hear what you think, just reply to this email or leave a comment. I’ve got lots more interviews from this Meeting Adelaide series to share soon, it’s the work that recently won me the photo residency at The Mill!