About

CIRCUIT Artist Film and Video Aotearoa New Zealand is an arts agency which supports New Zealand artists working in the moving image through commissioning of works, distribution, critical review and professional practice initiatives. CIRCUIT is supported by Creative New Zealand, the Arts Council of New Zealand.

CIRCUIT is the leading voice for representing artist moving image practice in New Zealand. CIRCUIT is committed to the following values;

– artist-centred and committed to artistic exchange & professional development
– practice-focussed, committed to accessibility of ideas, means of production and works
– committed to sustainability and developing economies which support artists' to make work
- committed to building a national and international audience for Artists' Moving Image work

CIRCUIT is a mobile agency. We present exhibition and screening projects in partnership with local and international galleries and festivals who provide physical space and infrastructure in exchange for curatorial programming. Previous partner venues include London Film Festival (UK), Oberhausen Short Film Festival (Germany), City Gallery Wellington, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, The Audio Foundation, Elam Project Space, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre. We have also curated projects for the online environment including www.filmessay.com (Italy). See our Projects section for a list of current and previous curatorial projects for hire.

In 2019 founded AURA Festival of Artist Moving Images, an annual festival including commissioned works for cinema, gallery and public space; an academic symposium and more.

CIRCUIT maintains the online resource www.circuit.org.nz, which streams over 700 videos by 100 New Zealand artists. The online CIRCUIT video collection is searchable by artist, title, year and keyword. CIRCUIT makes online reproduction of these works available for research and study, as a precursor to seeing full resolution copies in an exhibition context. The CIRCUIT website also presents critical review via the written word and the CIRCUIT podcast.

In 2020 our curator-at-large is David Teh.

CIRCUIT was founded in 2012 by Mark Williams, who is also the current Director / Curator. The CIRCUIT board includes Christina Barton, Aaron Lister, Andrew Clifford, Thomasin Sleigh, Martin Patrick, Sonya Lacey, Mark Boddington, Shauna Mendez, Karl Chitham.

For all enquiries, please contact Mark Williams <director@circuit.org.nz>.

Postal Address:
P.O. Box 7526
Newtown 6024
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

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Frequently Asked Questions

Selection of Works

Is CIRCUIT only for New Zealand artists?

Yes. However work produced in the New Zealand context by non-New Zealanders may be eligible. Contact director@circuit.org

Can any Artists work be on the CIRCUIT site?

No. CIRCUIT is a curated site. However we gratefully accept and consider any submissions.

How many artists and works are in the CIRCUIT catalogue?

CIRCUIT is currently working with approximately 70 New Zealand artists and several hundred works. New works will be added to the website constantly.

What is the selection process?

Submissions are considered by the CIRCUIT Director and a rotating selection committee of artists and curators.

Does it cost to be part of CIRCUIT?

No.

Putting Work Online

Does CIRCUIT offer video for download?

No. CIRCUIT only offers video for streaming.

Can I put up an excerpt of a work on CIRCUIT?

Yes.

My practice also includes painting and sculpture. Will this also be represented on the site?

We feel it is important to note the complete breadth of your practice. Each artist has a 300 word bio. This is the place to note your practice as a whole, and the place of the moving image within it. We can also put Exhibition Records on site; videos that document mixed media installation featuring the moving image.

Can I put my work on other sites besides CIRCUIT?

Yes. The more exposure for an Artists work the better.

Wait a minute! If I put my work online won't that make it harder to sell or rent?

We consider that most of the works on CIRCUIT are realized through context and other variables; size, space, image quality, the viewer, other screens or media, site-specificity, etc. The works on CIRCUIT are intended to function as a textbook-style reference for study - not as the final work.

In terms of rentals, there are many instances worldwide where online representation has increased demand for an artists work. The best example in New Zealand is Len Lye.

Distribution to Galleries, etc.

Does CIRCUIT accept invitations to curate screenings or exhibitions?

Yes - we welcome them. As with requests from 3rd parties, all curated activities outside the CIRCUIT website will be cleared with the Artist first.

Does CIRCUIT rent works to third parties? Eg: galleries?

CIRCUIT will pass on any rental enquiry to the Artist. Longer term, CIRCUIT's goal is to distribute the collection through curated projects. We are not funded to do this at present.

Does CIRCUIT sell work?

No. CIRCUIT will pass on any sale enquiries to the Artist.

Technical

Does CIRCUIT support High Definition (HD) video?

Yes. Up to 1280x720.

Where is the video on the CIRCUIT website stored?

All works on the CIRCUIT website are hosted through Vimeo.com, where they are available only to CIRCUIT staff.

Have you any guidelines on preferred compression, video format resolution, etc?

Vimeo have very clear and simple compression guidelines here - http://vimeo.com/help/compression

My work is stored at the New Zealand Film Archive. Can you get a copy from them?

Yes, but if possible CIRCUIT prefer to get it directly from the Artist, which is easier for everyone. As CIRCUIT is not an archive we also encourage you to consider depositing original materials with organisations such as the New Zealand Film Archive, as well as developing your own file storage systems, to ensure future preservation.

Circuit Staff and Support

Who are CIRCUIT's staff and board?

The CIRCUIT Director/Curator is Mark Williams. Production Assistant is Laura Duffy. Send all enquiries to <director@circuit.org.nz>.

Board members are Aaron Lister, Andrew Clifford, Christina Barton, Martin Patrick, Thomasin Sleigh, Mark Boddington, Shauna Mendez, Sonya Lacey, Karl Chitham.

Who initiated CIRCUIT?

Mark Williams, an independent curator based in Wellington. Formerly Exhibitions Manager at the New Zealand Film Archive 2004-2011. CIRCUIT was evolved following Williams' 3 month residency at London-based Artists Moving Image distributor LUX in 2009.

How is CIRCUIT funded?

Creative New Zealand have funded the build of the site and the curation of works.

Who designed and built the CIRCUIT site?

The CIRCUIT site was designed by The Hit Factory, a Wellington-based web company who have recently returned to New Zealand after ten years working abroad in Tokyo and Berlin. The CIRCUIT logo was designed by Duncan Munro. You can see more of Duncan's work here – http://www.luckystairsstudio.com/.

Future

What are CIRCUIT's future plans?

CIRCUIT is hoping to begin curating packages of work from it's collection for distribution in gallery-based screenings and exhibitions. Specific territories include New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.

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