Expanding Documentary Conference : September 22-24, 2006

ALLAN SEKULA - TALK & FILM SCREENING

2006-09-26T14:32:00.000+12:00

ALLAN SEKULA
Los Angeles-based photographer, filmmaker, writer and critic

TALK & FILM SCREENING

7.00pm Thursday 28 September 2006 Massey University - Wellington – School of Fine Arts Block 5, Room LT 200, C Level Access and parking off Tasman Street FREE ADMISSION

THE LOTTERY OF THE SEA (2001-2005, 179 mins)

The Lottery of the Sea takes its title from Adam Smith, who, in his famous Inquiry into the Wealth of Nations (1776), compared the life of the seafarer to gambling. Thus notions of risk were introduced by Smith through an allegory of the sea's dangers especially for those who did the hard work, and also for those who invested in ships and goods. The film asks: is there a relationship between the most frightening and terrifying concept in economics, that of risk, and the category of the sublime in aesthetics? It is an offbeat diary extending from the presumably "innocent" summer of 2001 through to the current "war on terror" by way of a meandering, essayistic voyage from seaport to seaport, waterfront to waterfront, and coast to coast. Through the course of the film we visit blizzards and demonstrations in New York, drifting prehistoric mastodons in Los Angeles, militant drummers and bemused African construction workers in Lisbon, millionaires or millionaire-impersonators in Amsterdam, and the stray dogs of Athens, all by way of thinking through seeing the sea, the market, and democracy.

Allan Sekula is a photographer, filmmaker, writer, and critic who grew up in the Los Angeles harbour town of San Pedro (CA). He has taught at the California Institute of Arts since 1985. He has been described as a pioneer in reworking what is usually called "critical realism." His photographs most often focus on people engaged in political or economic struggles as part of his exploration of global economic systems. He started the “maritime world” projects that are now his trademark in the mid-1980s. His project Fish Story was featured in Documenta 11, Kassel, in 2002. Sekula’s published books are Photography against the Grain (1984), Fish Story (1995), Geography Lesson: Canadian Notes (1996), Dismal Science (1999), TITANIC's Wake (2003) and Performance under Working Conditions (2003).

SEKULA’S VISIT IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE SCHOOL OF ART HISTORY, CLASSICS AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON; SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS, MASSEY UNIVERSITY WELLINGTON, THE GOVETT-BREWSTER ART GALLERY, NEW PLYMOUTH, ARTSPACE AUCKLAND AND THE AUCKLAND ART GALLERY TOI O TAMAKI.

PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED

2006-09-12T17:26:00.000+12:00

Expanding Documentary 2006 is pleased to announce this year’s programme of events:

FRIDAY 22 SEPTEMBER

5.30pm [EXHIBITION OPENING] The Tour is Here: Photographs from the 1981 Springbok Tour opens at The Engine Room gallery (Massey University School of Fine Arts) with an introductory speech by Chris Laidlaw.

7.30pm [SCREENING AT NZFA] Experimental Documentary programme. Curated by John Di Stefano as part of the DocNZ Festival (exclusive to the Expanding Documentary conference).

SATURDAY 23 SEPTEMBER

8.00 am [REGISTRATION]
9.00 am [WELCOME]
9.10 am [DISCUSSION PAPER] Russell Campbell (Victoria University) Documenting Kiwiana
9.40 am [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Melissa Edmon Possums, Friend or Foe
10.05 am [MORNING TEA]
10.25 am [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Simon Burgin In the Night Kitchen
10.50 am [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Kathy Dudding The Return
11.20 am [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Zoe Roland Memory, Myth, and Melodrama
11.50 am [DISCUSSION PAPER] Dr. Craig Hight (University of Waikato) A Call to Play: Hybridised Documentary for a ‘Post-Documentary Culture’
12.20 pm [LUNCH]
1.30 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Mary-Lou Harris Winner Every Day
1.55 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Davina Monds (Black Barn Studios) Ngawha Protest and Hikoi
2.25 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Mike Riddell Utopian Dreams
2.55 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Kirsty MacDonald Black and White
3.20 pm [AFTERNOON TEA]
3.40 pm [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Janice Abo Ganis & John Mandelberg, (Blue Water Productions) Watani Habibi – My Beloved Homeland
4.10 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Peter Marra Children of a Nation
4.40 pm [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Jessica Feast Cowboys and Communists
5.10 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Sophie Zhang So Far yet So Close

7.30pm [SCREENING AT NZFA] – [GUEST SPEAKER] Allan Sekula presents Gala and Tsukiji at the New Zealand Film Archive

SUNDAY 24 SEPTEMBER

8.30 am [REGISTRATION]
9.00 am [DISCUSSION PAPER] Geraldene Peters Patu! Now
9.30 am [DISCUSSION PAPER] Cherie Lacey Contested Ground: The Springbok Tour, Popular Media and the Politics of Memory
10.00 am [MORNING TEA]
10.20 am [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Raechel Harding
10.50 am [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Peter Wareing Joselow House
11.20 am [DISCUSSION PAPER] Stephen Turner Virtual History
11.50 am [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Edward Lynden-Bell Drawing on Walls
12.20 pm [LUNCH]
1.20 pm [DISCUSSION PAPER] Melanie Ferdon Documentary – Truth or Dare?
1.45 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Lyn Collie Cruise Control
2.10 pm [WORK-IN-PROGRESS] Alannah Gunter From Afar
2.35 pm [AFTERNOON TEA]
3.00 pm [GUEST SPEAKER] Allan Sekula Performance under Working Conditions
3.45 pm [DISCUSSION PAPER] Dr. Kathryn Lehman (University of Auckland) Documenting Unprecedented Failure: Positioning the Viewer as Witness to the Argentinean Crisis and its Aftermath
4.15 pm [DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION] Peter Vaughan (Wait a While Films) The Last Valley
4.45 pm [WRAP UP] Misha Kavka (University of Auckland)

7.30pm [SCREENING AT NZFA] – [GUEST SPEAKER] Debra Zimmerman from Women Make Movies (New York) presents Highway Courtesans - a documentary work from the WMM collection.

Presentations will be given within either a 15 or 20 min. time slot, with an additional 10 min. question and answer/discussion time to follow each presentation. A separate screening room will be available during the conference for those who wish to show works or make them available to conference attendees.

All conference presentations will be given in the Theatrette, Room 10A02, Old Museum Building (Block 10), Massey University, Buckle St (between Taranaki and Tory/Tasman streets).

Guests are asked to enter the building via the EAST entrance.

All evening screening events will begin at 7.30 pm at The New Zealand Film Archive MEDIAPLEX, located on the corner of Taranaki and Ghuznee streets. Doors will be open from 7 pm each night.

These events will also be open to the public for an admission fee of $6/$8.

REGISTRATION OPENS

2006-08-22T12:15:00.000+12:00

Registration for Expanding Documentary 2006 is now open.

Registration Fees

Full - Weekend $95
Full - One day $50
Concession (with ID*) - Weekend $65
Concession (with ID*) - One day $35

*Concession rates apply to Student ID, or Community Services Card holders only.

Fee includes morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea.

Attendees are asked preferrably to register in advance for the conference, and payment is to be made by posting, emailing, or faxing this form along with payment to the address below.

An Eftpos machine will be available on site during the conference for those who wish to register using Eftpos on their day of attendance.

Expanding Documentary 2006 will commence with opening events on the evening of Friday 22 September. Further updates will be posted on our website.

To register for the conference, download a PDF version of the registration form, print it, complete it, and return it to:

Bronwyn Smith
Expanding Documentary Conference 2006
Massey University
School of Fine Arts
Private Box 756
Wellington

or scan, and email to:
b.smith@massey.ac.nz

or fax BEFORE 4PM MONDAY - FRIDAY to:
(+64) 4 801 2684 attn: Fatima*

*Please note, the fax number listed on the registration form is experiencing technical difficulties, and undergoing repairs. Please use this number in the interim. (Posted 14 September)

Download Registration Form (PDF)

(To read and print a PDF file, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free here )

If you have trouble downloading this file, please email Bronwyn Smith at b.smith@massey.ac.nz to have the file emailed to you directly.

INTERNATIONAL GUEST PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED

2006-07-30T21:44:00.000+12:00

Expanding Documentary is thrilled to announce the following guest presenters:

Allan Sekula (USA)

Sekula is an Internationally renowned documentary photographer, visual artist and theoretician, with recent projects expanding to include film-based work in addition to photography. Widely respected as an authority on documentary theory, Sekula presently teaches at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). His published books include Photography Against the Grain, Fish Story, Geography Lesson: Canadian Notes and Dismal Science. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Folkwang Museum in Essen, the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, the University Art Museum at Berkeley, Witte de With in Rotterdam, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Tramway in Glasgow, Le Channel and the Muse des Beaux Arts in Calais, Camerawork in London, Munich Kunstverein in Munich, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels and the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, the Getty Research Institute, the Deutsche Akademischer Austausdienst and the Atelier Calder.

Debra Zimmerman (USA)

Debra Zimmerman has been Executive Director of Women Make Movies (WMM) since 1983. During her tenure, WMM has grown into the largest distributor of films and videotapes by and about women in North America. Zimmerman has lectured on women's media and media distribution throughout the world, has been a grants panelist for government and private foundations and served as a jury member for numerous festivals. She regularly lectures at universities and colleges and has published numerous articles on independent media distribution and women's film and videomaking. She currently sits on the Board of the Foundation for Independent Video and Film (FIVF) and on the Advisory Boards of the Boston Women's Film and Video Festival; the Long Island Film Festival; the Northampton Film and Video Festival; the New York International Children's Film Festival; DocuClub, NY; Frameline, San Francisco and Asian Cine-Vision, NY.

PEER REVIEW SELECTION PANEL MEMBERS ANNOUNCED

2006-07-30T21:31:00.000+12:00

With the August 7th deadline rapidly approaching, submissions have begun rolling in for the 6th Biennial Expanding Documentary Conference. This year proposals will be directed into one of three categories: Documentary Film and Video, Documentary Photography, and Academic Papers.

Expanding Documentary is proud to announce the members of the peer review selection panels for each category:

Documentary Film and Video:

Mei Hill (Arts Access Aotearoa)
Jessica Feast (Gibson Group)
Struan Ashby (Massey University)
John Di Stefano (Massey University)

Documentary Photography:

Wayne Barrar (Massey University)
Gavin Hipkins (Massey University)
Jenny Gillam (Massey University)

Academic Papers:

Annie Goldson (University of Auckland)
Roy Parkhurst (Massey University)
Thierry Jutel (Victoria University)

EXPANDING DOCUMENTARY AND DOCNZ JOIN FORCES

2006-07-11T15:44:00.000+12:00

The Expanding Documentary Conference is pleased to associated with the DOCNZ festival - New Zealand's first major international festival solely dedicated to documentary. As a means of encouraging a cross-fertilization between the two, the Conference has strategically been scheduled to occur between the Auckland and Wellington seasons of DOCNZ - with visiting filmmakers able to attend both events. As a point of difference, the Festival will be targeted towards a general audience while the Conference (which is more of a workshop environment) will cater for an audience of academics, students, documentary filmmakers, photographers, those working with ideas of documentary in an experimental manner, and anyone with an interest in engaging with the creative processes of documentary.

See http://docnzfestival.com/ for more information.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - 2006

2006-06-19T18:53:00.000+12:00

EXPANDING DOCUMENTARY – 2006
Exploring Documentary in Aotearoa/New Zealand
22 – 24 September 2006

The sixth biennial documentary conference will be held in Wellington, a collaboration between the host Massey University and the University of Auckland, in association with The New Zealand Film Archive, the Screen Director’s Guild, and the DocNZ Film Festival. The conference format will consist of two days that will interweave documentary presentations by filmmaker and photographers, along with academic papers. Evening screening events will be held at the NZ Film Archive.

DOCUMENTARY WORKS
Makers and artists are invited to show documentary works still in production (rough-cuts, representative takes, edited sequences, etc.) or, if completed, works that have not yet shown widely. An open discussion session will follow each presentation. In addition to film and video works, we will also feature documentary works in photography and related art-genres. We welcome projects from every aspect of the documentary spectrum – community, activist, indigenous, mainstream, oral history, avant-garde, experimental, art-house, contemporary art, etc. – but each will be chosen for their particular and unique quality. We are looking for exciting, innovative works. The final line-up of projects will be selected through a peer-review process. Currently we are soliciting presentation proposals (250 words max.) along with appropriate visual documentation for consideration.

DOCUMENTARY PAPERS
In addition to documentary works, we are also interested in selected written presentations that continue debates and discussions around documentary theory and practices. We are seeking papers from academics and others writing on documentary from a variety of perspectives. Papers may focus on documentary within film studies, history, anthropology, cultural studies, art history, media studies, fine art studies, etc. The final selection of papers will be determined through a peer-review process. Currently we are soliciting abstracts (250 words) for consideration.

EVENING SCREENINGS & VISUAL ARTWORKS
In addition to the documentary work presentations and papers, we are also planning programmed screening events and possible exhibition. The nightly screening events will showcase projects that have been recently completed. Participants from the 2006 Expanding Documentary conference are invited to submit their now-completed works for these screenings. Photographers and visual artists are invited to submit works for possible exhibition during the conference. This may include still works, and/or time-based works. The final selection will be determined through a peer-review process. Currently we are soliciting abstracts (250 words max.) along with visual documentation for consideration.

Final date for all submissions: AUGUST 7 2006 (no extensions)
Notification of acceptance: September 1, 2006

Please send all proposals to:
Bronwyn Smith
Massey University
School of Fine Arts
Private Box 756
Wellington

For information please contact: b.smith@massey.ac.nz

http://expanding-documentary-conference-2006.blogspot.com

Expanding Documentary 2006 will be held in association with DocNZ 2006: International Documentary Film Festival. See http://docnzfestival.com/ for more information.