well, its looking sunny here and since its the first real weekend of
summer to begin in .nz, then i rekin my post will slip quietly into the
mix ;)
I just wanted to pop in a few questions about 'remoteness' since the list
has bobbed lightly in and out of that topic. It also relates to a project
I am working on at the moment called 're:mote' (!)...which is a festival
of sorts. Actually it _is_ a festival, but it also has the aim of
experimenting with a symposium format that can intertwine local and remote
participation. The idea has evolved through an observation of the
monolithic new media festivals that have established themselves in Europe.
What i have seen there is exciting but also flawed in some ways that I
consider to be rather serious. One of these problems, which comes into
this discussion, is that there is not much time given to thinking outside
the rather jagged box that is Europe by the curatorial processes of some
of these festivals.
To some antipodeans this doesnt matter much, if at all. There is enough
going on 'here' that it doesnt matter. But I believe that many local .nz
artists would benefit from overseas (speaking largely of the .eu)
recognition if only because there is more money available to assist
artists in realising their ideas if they are identifiable within the
international traffic of new media art. Such 'recognition' would help
getting financial assistence both locally and through international
residencies / commissions etc.
So, I guess what I am interested in are the comments of .nz new media
artists on this topic - Is international recognition important?
On another note. And this also relates to what has been on the list
already and to my questions above. It seems 'success' is a double edged
sword. The 'success' of the NZ film industry has pointed the looking glass
at this part of the world. However it seems no coincidence that this has
accompanied a rise in house prices that puts owning a house beyond the
reach of more NZers than, say, 6 years ago.
Similary I wonder if there are some elements that effect how you are
as an artist in NZ that might be adversely effected by international
magnification? What mix of good and bad is 'remoteness'
from the international ebb and flow of new media trends and discourse.
Anyways...off to see the fishes @ Hahei :)
adam
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