Time of Now Symposim at AUT

The Time of the Now symposium was conceived and presented by CIRCUIT in partnership with the Document Research Group at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), and invited responses to the following questions around ‘truth’, representation, and artist practice.

  • What strategies do contemporary artists employ to test media representation of reality and the means through which we channel and consume it?

  • How do artists expand the documentary form through various material processes and formal strategies?

  • How do artists deconstruct the surfeit of images we already have and the means by which we receive them?

  • Can 'truth' and fiction exist in the same space?

  • What historical artworks could be part of a revised genealogy of current documentary practices in Aotearoa New Zealand?

  • How could an ethic of care, as understood through sustained relationships with Indigenous and diverse communities be played out through documentary practices?

Time of Now e-book

Designed by Callum Devlin, The Time of the Now e-book is CIRCUIT’s second e-publication. Featuring dialogue with some of Aotearoa’s leading academics and artists we hope that it serves to circulate the conversations beyond the room.

Contributors

  • Dr. Fiona Amundsen

  • Dr. Erika Balsom

  • Stephanie Beth

  • Stephen Cleland

  • Cushla Donaldson

  • Ioana Gordon-Smith

  • Dr. David Hall

  • Becky Hemus

  • Dieneke Jansen

  • Moya Lawson

  • Nova Paul

  • Dr. Janine Randerson

  • Natalie Robertson

  • Dr. Alan Wright

  • James Wylie.

Many thanks to our partners at AUT, Govett Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre, The Audio Foundation and City Gallery Wellington. Special thanks to Erika Balsom.

…what has been happening today across some of the presentations is the articulation of a vision of what documentary could or should be, or how it could relate to an audience. That doesn’t always happen. In fact, it often doesn’t happen.

Dr Erika Balsom

CIRCUIT is the
leading voice
for artist moving image
practice
in Aotearoa New Zealand,
distributing works,
critical review and
dialogues
which reflect our unique, contemporary
South Pacific context.