Meeting Place - Canberra

Photosynth by Karl

About Photosynth

Photosynth is like a photographic expression of the theory of cubism. It takes a mosaic of perspectives from a 3-dimensional room and displays them as a 2d perspective on a computer screen. Those perspectives can be navigated to view a work of art in isolation, as part of the greater exhibition, or as a fusion of images across time and space.

The Meeting Place Photosynth (above) comprises 800 different high resolution photos.  The detail is so great that my phone number can be read on one of my displayed business cards. To experience it:

 1)Click the button on the  open the view
2) Click on the “expand” button in the bottom right hand corner
3) Use controls to navigate around gallery or zoom in on a painting

The journey begins by looking into the gallery and can end by looking out.

The modern world is a world of cultural appropriation. Be it Italians with dreadlocks and listening to Bob Marley, Chinese wearing torn jeans and listening to AC/DC, or Australians making sushi and listening to Lady Gaga, the flow of culture is indeed a characteristic of the world we live in. For some people, this cultural appropriation is scourge that erodes cultural identities. For others, it a sign that humanity is learning.

The conflicting attitudes to cultural appropriation were an inspiration when assembling the Meeting Place exhibition. I was particularly interested in the motivations to both embrace and reject "outsider" cultures, as well as some of the positive and negative consequences of doing so. The title of the exhibition came from the naming of Canberra, which meant Meeting Place in the local Ngunnawal language. I liked the fact that instead of paying tribute to an English dignitary, Australia's pioneering acknowledged the locals and championed the idea of learning from others.

最初的澳大利亚政治家们在为澳大利亚新首都取名的时候，本可以选择一些重要的英国人物名字以表示对英国的敬重，可是，取而代之选择的名字却是土著语中开会地意思的堪培拉。 
与澳大利亚融合多元化文化的传统一样，拥有澳大利亚、非洲和欧洲血统的堪培拉艺术家Chad Swanson研究探讨了他的祖先文化，加上融合4年的亚洲生活经历，给大家重新诠释了澳大利亚的大杂烩文化。

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July, 2010
Meeting Place
Exhibition by Chad Swanson

When Australia’s pioneering politicians were considering names for the nation’s new capital, instead of paying tribute to an English dignitary, they chose Canberra, a word that meant “meeting place” in the local Ngunnawal language. For contemporary artist Chad Swanson, the naming of his home city was the inspiration for his latest exhibition, “Meeting Place”, to run at the Belconnen Community Centre from August 3 to August 11.

“I love the naming of Canberra because it seems to espouse education through social interaction. In this exhibition, I was particularly interested in the infusion of African, Aboriginal and Asian elements into the traditional European-influenced art culture of urban Australia, and the ramifications associated with it, ” Chad said.

While the exhibition’s themes are socially focussed, for Chad, there is still a deeply personal aspect to it.

“In terms of ancestry, I am a mix of African, Dutch, French, Irish, Scottish, English and Malaysian genetics. Furthermore, I’ve lived four years in China and Japan. As well as thinking about multiculturalism in Australia, the exhibition is a way of exploring some of the physical and cultural issues that have made me who I am as an individual.”

“ Although the Meeting Place exhibition touches on some of the social problems that can occur when dissimilar cultures met, ultimately it aims to harness what I believe is the greatest advantage of living in Canberra; the access to cultural diversity and the freedom to change one’s own expressions as a result of that exposure.”

“For some people, cultural appropriation is scourge that erodes cultural identities, while others see it a sign that humanity is learning. I am definitely in the later group and I love Canberra because there are relatively few people that will demand that I conform to a “traditional” aesthetic. This gives me the freedom to cross cultural boundaries, and I am grateful for that freedom.”

“I think there is an Australian ethic in this freedom. I am intrigued that when Australia’s pioneering politicians were considering names for the nation’s new capital, they appropriated a word from the local Aborigines that espoused cultural exchange. As someone who embraces cultural exchange, and appreciates the freedom to learn as one of the greatest attributes of Australian multiculturalism, the naming is a historical novelty that I do identify with,” Chad said.