International Symposium & Publication

This online symposium brought together 18 Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, curators, scholars, museum professionals, and filmmakers from Australia, Taiwan, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the Philippines. It created a space for Indigenous creative practitioners—many meeting for the first time—to exchange ideas, build new connections, and share knowledge. Entitled Grounded in Place: Dialogues Between First Nations Artists from Australia, Taiwan and Aotearoa, the symposium and publication help foster cultural understanding and regional collaboration, while generating new research.

The symposium explored key themes including history and sovereignty; land and community; site and materials; and place and space. These ideas were examined through a keynote address by Patrick Flores and four panel discussions in which artists introduced their practices and responded to these themes.

Revised papers from this symposium were later published in a special edition of the peer-reviewed journal, Pacific Arts. Guest edited by Sophie McIntyre, Fang Chun-wei (方鈞瑋) and Zara Stanhope —who also co-authored the introductory essay—and featuring contributions from symposium participants, the publication provides a lasting record of the event while contributing to scholarship and serving as a valuable and lasting educational resource.

Publication

Contributors’ papers from this symposium were later revised, refined and published in a special edition of Pacific Arts journal (2022).

Program & recordings

This online symposium was a conversation between 16 First Nations artists, curators, and filmmakers, along with non-Indigenous scholars and museum professionals from Australia, Taiwan, Aotearoa, and the Philippines.

The aim of this symposium was to provide a platform where First Nations creative practitioners who had not met, could gather, share ideas and insights, and develop connections. We hoped these conversations would inspire new ideas, generate opportunities for future dialogue and exchange, help build networks and foster cultural understanding and cooperation between our countries.”

The symposium theme, “Grounded in Place”, explored our relationship explored our relationship to the “land” from the standpoint of First Nations artists and filmmakers in our region. While our speakers’ perspectives and creative approaches are highly individualistic, some common themes have emerged around land and place which were further explored in this discussion:

• as a site of contestation and self-determination
• as a source of learning, sustenance, and creative production
• as a place where we might discover a sense of belonging, community, and culture.

The symposium comprised of panels which focused on different keywords relating to these common themes.

New fields of research and inquiry emerged from these conversations. In 2022, we published a bilingual publication that will serve as a lasting record of this conversation, contribute to scholarship, and provide a useful resource for students, teachers, and museum professionals. An exhibition, featuring works by First Nation artists from our region, will also further develop this dialogue, research, and collaborative partnership.

The symposium was initiated and organised by Dr. Sophie McIntyre at QUT and it was developed in collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Fang Chun-wei (National Prehistory Museum in Taiwan), and Dr. Zara Stanhope (Govett-Brewster Gallery). We would like to acknowledge and thank our advisors, Dr. Leah King-Smith, Dr. Juliana McLaughlin (QUT) and Yuma Taru (尤瑪•達陸), along with Megan Tamati-Quennell (Govett-Brewster Gallery) who provided valuable advice and support. We are indebted to the artists, film makers and scholars who participated in the symposium, and look forward to future dialogues and interactions. Finally, we would like to thank the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (Spotlight Taiwan), QUT, and the Creative Placemaking for Social Impact research group at QUT, for generously funding this symposium, and the Creative Placemaking for Social Impact research group for offering valuable practical support.