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Briony is a conceptual artist who regularly collaborates with scientists (mainly microbiologists and physicists). Artworks made by Briony draw on generative rules, complex systems, diagrams, microscopic worlds and nineteenth century views of science and nature. Large amounts of tape and people may also feature. Briony and illustrator Ben wrote at least 5,000 emails to each other during the creation of the graphic novel, and she is not related to Jeremy.
Gregory loves microbes. He even forgives those that occasionally make him sick (that’s just their job, right?). After working for a decade as a microbial ecologist – Gregory moved across to teaching science. Together with his Scale Free Network collaborator Briony Barr, Gregory now manages a team of writers, visual artists, scientists, educators and designers to create the Small Friends book series – stories of partnership between microbes and larger forms of life.
Ailsa only studied science up to year 10 and she is a rookie at graphic novels, but she knows a bit about narrative and collaboration. She is the author of two Small Friends Books and the Squishy Taylor series. Ailsa's first (human) baby is due out within two months of The Invisible War and she's still not sure what was morning sickness and what was sympathy with Annie.
Ben has been self-publishing comics since the early 90s, and has created over 30 or maybe 40 comics. Ben's main works are now published by Milk Shadow Books, including Walking to Japan, Iron Bard Ballisto and Lesson Master. His weekly strip "Tales from the Pub" is published in Picture magazine and is in its 9th year.
Ben was co-founder of Australia's first cartoonists' studio Squishface Comic Studio, where he works as a freelance artist working on everything from poetry books to magazines to coins to educational graphic novels about nurses with diarrhoea.
Jeremy currently performs science experiments at San Diego State University, USA. Starting August 2016, he and his phage swarm will be making the voyage across the Pacific to join Monash University as a lecturer. He is an avid collector of phages and is solely responsible for the lysis and death of trillions of bacteria (all in the name of science of course…).
Barr Lab at Monash Uni & Original Scientific Article in PNAS
Jaye is a man who wears many hats. Depending on the day he'll throw on his: graphic designer, art director, web designer, meditation teacher or reiki practitioner hat. Since 2000, his creative career has taken him to London, Sydney, and Melbourne, where he has enjoyed collaborating with many worldly creatives. In 2013, he began working with energy, becoming a reiki practitioner, than graduating as a meditation teacher in 2015. Jaye loves wearing several hats at once, as it allows him to bring a sense of joyous wonder into every experience.
Scale Free Network likes to collaborate with experts.
The Invisible War would not have been as historically and scientifically accurate as it is, without the invaluable advice given by:
Dr. Francois-Xavier Weill (Institut Pasteur/University of Cambridge),
Prof. Philippe Sansonetti (Institut Pasteur),
Dr. Laurent Debarbieux (Institut Pasteur),
Dr. Kathryn Holt (University of Melbourne),
Dr. Merry Youle,
Dr. Kirsty Harris (University of Melbourne).