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Bronwyn Holloway-Smith

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Dr
Bronwyn Holloway-Smith
Born
Bronwyn Smith

1982 (age 41–42)[1]
Lower Hutt[citation needed]
NationalityNew Zealand
Alma materMassey University
Websitehollowaysmith.nz

Bronwyn Holloway-Smith is a New Zealand artist, art researcher and advocate. She studied at Massey University in Wellington gaining a doctorate (PhD) in Fine Art from the College of Creative Arts (CoCA) Toi Rauwhārangi in 2019. Holloway-Smith's research and advocacy interests are intellectual property rights for artists and, more recently, 20th century public art. She is a co-director of Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand.

Working life

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In 2006,[citation needed] Holloway-Smith graduated with an honours degree in Fine Art from Massey University.[1]

Between degree and doctorate

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Creative Freedom Foundation

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Peter Dunne and Holloway-Smith face media outside Parliament House, first NZ Internet Blackout protest, 19 February 2009

In October 2008, the Copyright Act 1994 was amended by the Fifth Labour Government. The additions included section 92A that said "Internet service provider must have policy for terminating accounts of repeat infringers".[2] It was due to come into force on 28 February 2009.[3] Holloway-Smith supported copyright law to protect the intellectual property of artists. However, she believed section 92A was unjust because it would allow Internet access to be suspended without a fair hearing.[4]

In December 2008, Holloway-Smith co-founded the Creative Freedom Foundation (CFF) to campaign for the repeal of section 92A. The foundation called for the first New Zealand Internet Blackout 16–23 February 2009 and organised petitions.[5] On 19 February, Holloway-Smith led around 200 protestors at parliament.[6] Peter Dunne MP received the petitions with over 10,000 virtual and 149 written signatures.[3][7]

The newly-elected Fifth National Government did not bring section 92A into force.[2] In July, they proposed replacement legislation that narrowed the scope to file sharing networks. Copyright infringers would be warned then taken to the Copyright Tribunal for fines or suspension of Internet access. Holloway-Smith said the proposal was "... much better than the previous regime, ..."[8] The Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act 2011 repealed section 92A and added the new regime as section 122.[9]

In July 2014, Holloway-Smith stepped down from the CFF to start her doctorate, and the foundation went into hiatus.[10]

Ghosts in the Form of Gifts (2009)

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Replacement cicada

Massey University commissioned Holloway-Smith to produce artwork for display on their Wellington campus. The CoCA building on Buckle Street used to belong to the National Museum of New Zealand which moved out to become Te Papa.[11][12] Holloway-Smith imagined museum pieces that might have been lost in the move.[11]

Ghosts in the Form of Gifts (2009) was a collection of ten replacement pieces produced with an open design RepRap 3D printer.[11] The collection represented natural and man-made pieces;[12] the man-made replacements were for generic pieces of unknown origin with one exception.[11] They included a Māori matau (English: fish hook) and poi, and a tapa cloth beater.[11] The exception was the Utah teapot a 3D model. Holloway-Smith gifted the 3D printer instructions for the collection from her official website under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.[11]

In 2010, Ghosts in the Form of Gifts won the Open Source in the Arts category at the New Zealand Open Source Awards.[13] In 2012, it was shown in the Social Interface exhibition at Ramp Gallery, Hamilton,[14] and was reviewed by artist Peter Dornauf.[15] He wrote that everyday museum pieces had been transformed by 3D printing. The replacements "... present themselves as highly tactile yet prohibit touch because of their strange translucent ghostly nature."[12]

Pioneer City (2010–2015)

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Pioneer City was a series of works on extraterrestrial colonisation.

While searching for a house to buy in Wellington, Holloway-Smith noticed the marketing of real estate off plans. Advertisements lured buyers to property that was promised but not yet built.[16] In 2010, according to her official website, she parodied aspirational real estate advertising with a flyer for the imaginary Colonial Real Estate company's Pioneer development. Typical home interiors looked out over atypical landscapes: rugged, empty and lifeless.[17]

The following year, Holloway-Smith won the use of a Wellington city centre billboard for art from April to June. She created a marketing campaign to sell the idea of a better life in Pioneer City. Advertisements for the city appeared on the billboard and a website.[18] The flyer and initial website only hinted at the location of Pioneer City;[17][19] Holloway-Smith then confirmed it was Mars. Her campaign drew inspiration from the marketing of New Zealand as a remote colony in the 19th century.[16][20]

The campaign continued in the media with Holloway-Smith anticipating a Pioneer City showroom.[21][20] Open weekends 18 June–10 July 2011,[21] it was in the city centre and had a scale model of the city with an agent to answer questions.[16] Expressions of interest in migrating to Pioneer City could be made at the showroom or on the website.[22]

A promotional video for Pioneer City was created in 2012.[23] The following year, the model and video were shown in the Among the Machines exhibition at Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The exhibition's theme was the evolving relationship between people, nature and technology.[24] One reviewer wrote Holloway-Smith's works were mildly satirical,[25] while another found them disquieting.[26]

During the 2015–2016 New Zealand flag referendums, Holloway-Smith created a flag for Pioneer City. It won the New Zealand Contemporary Art Award 2015, and a judge noted its immediacy.[27] As of 2024, this is the most recent work in the series.

Whisper Down the Lane (2012)

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In 2012, the City Gallery Wellington ran The Obstinate Object: Contemporary New Zealand Sculpture exhibition 24 February–10 June.[28] Running alongside the exhibition was Whisper Down the Lane (2012) through which Holloway-Smith continued to raise awareness of copyright and produce art with 3D technologies.

Holloway-Smith picked one sculpture a week from the exhibition.[29] She discussed copyright issues with the artist then got permission to create a 3D model of the sculpture and 3D print the model as a miniature. The miniatures were sufficiently transformed from the originals that Holloway-Smith saw them as her works. She named them After ... the original artist and work in acknowledgement.[30] The miniatures were shown in the gallery's reading room and sold online.[29] Again, the 3D printer instructions were gifted under a Creative Commons license, this time Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (BY-NC-SA).[30]

Whisper Down the Lane was reviewed by art critic Mark Amery.[15] He wrote that it was "... one smart project, charged in its complexity by contemporary issues of copyright, reproduction and future changes to the art market."[29] It also won the Open Source in the Arts category at the New Zealand Open Source Awards 2012.[31]

Doctorate

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For her doctorate, Holloway-Smith investigated and created artworks around New Zealand's connection to the Internet, particularly the Southern Cross Cable. Her aim was to demystify the connection for the public, in part by showing it was physical. Holloway-Smith did a scuba dive to hold the cable under the sea and produced a tour guide to the cable's overland route across New Zealand.[32]

In 2014, Holloway-Smith visited the terminal building for the decommissioned undersea telephony Commonwealth Pacific Cable System in Auckland. There she noticed decorated tiles stacked in cardboard boxes. The tiles belonged to Te Ika-a-Māui (1962) a mural created for the building by New Zealand artist E. Mervyn Taylor. Holloway-Smith's restoration of the mural, that included creating replacements for missing tiles, became another work for her doctorate.[1] The following year, Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott began a project to find Taylor's other murals. Holloway-Smith edited the book Wanted: The Search for the Modernist Murals of E. Mervyn Taylor (2018).[1]

Holloway-Smith's thesis was titled The Southern Cross Cable: A Tour: Art, the Internet and National Identity in Aotearoa New Zealand. She was awarded a doctorate in 2019.[32]

Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand

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Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand (PAHANZ) "... is a research initiative to find, document and protect [the nation's] 20th century public art heritage.", according to their website.[33] The co-directors are Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott.[34][35]

Holloway-Smith and Elliott's research into Taylor's murals developed into an informal register of public artwork.[36] They created PAHANZ to develop a national register of 20th century public work with the support of CoCA and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.[37] In the early 2020s, the ministry funded PAHANZ to put the register on the web and establish a forum for those working with public art.[38] The web register launched in July 2023 with 380 works.[34][36] In 2024, Wellington City Council supported the addition of further works in their region.[35]

As of November 2024, the web register lists 421 works. Each one has a current status for the viewing public: accessible, hidden or lost (whereabouts unknown or destroyed).[39]

Bledisloe Bebop (2020)

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In 1959, the seven-storey Bledisloe State Building, now known as Bledisloe House, opened in Auckland city centre.[40][41] For the structure on its roof, New Zealand artist Guy Ngan created Untitled (1956) a glass mosaic frieze.[42] It was the first of over 30 public works.[43][44]

To get a close view, Holloway-Smith had the frieze videoed from aerial drones. She then created Bledisloe Bebop (2020) setting shots of the work to a bebop recording.[45] The video was screened in Aotea Square, adjacent to Bledisloe House, during October 2020.[43]

Personal life

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Holloway-Smith lives with her civil union partner and children in Wellington.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn, ed. (2018a). Wanted: The Search for the Modernist Murals of E. Mervyn Taylor. Auckland: Massey University Press. pp. 39, 121–133, 247. ISBN 9780994141552.
  2. ^ a b McDonald, Greer (20 February 2009). "Internet Law Change 'Unjust'". The Dominion Post. Wellington. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  3. ^ Smith, Emma (19 February 2009). "Copyright Act Amendment Protest". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  4. ^ "CFF Announce Internet Blackout Against Guilt upon Accusation Laws". Creative Freedom Foundation (CFF). 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Protesters Want Copyright Provision Scrapped". Radio New Zealand. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  6. ^ Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn (20 February 2009). "Petition 2008/7 of Bronwyn Holloway-Smith and 148 Others". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Govt Launches New Internet Copyright Proposal". Radio New Zealand. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act 2011". New Zealand Legislation. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  9. ^ Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn (11 July 2014). "Holloway-Smith Steps Down As CFF Director (Open Letter)". Creative Freedom Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f O'Neill, Rob (27 January 2010). "3D Printer Deployed for the Cause of Art". Computerworld: New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Dornauf, Peter (6 May 2012). "Glancing at the History of Digital Art". EyeContact. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  12. ^ "2010 Winners and Finalists". New Zealand Open Source Awards. 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Social Interface". Ramp Gallery. 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Writers". EyeContact. n.d. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Dekker, Diana (21 June 2011). "Prime Real Estate? Look to the Sky". The Dominion Post. Stuff. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  16. ^ a b Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn (2010). "Colonial Real Estate Ltd". Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  17. ^ Alison Bartley (28 March 2011). "A Second Public Art Billboard Project". Bartley + Company Art. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  18. ^ Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn (2011). "Pioneer City: Your Kind of Space". Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  19. ^ a b Freeman, Lynn (12 June 2011). "Pioneer City". Arts on Sunday. Radio New Zealand. RNZ National. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  20. ^ a b Johnson, Robert (20 May 2011). "Location, Location, Location". The Wellingtonian. Stuff. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  21. ^ Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn (2012). "Pioneer City: Your Kind of Space". Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  22. ^ Holloway-Smith, Bronwyn; Ward, Simon (2012). "Destination Pioneer City". Circuit. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  23. ^ Ballard, Su (2013). "Among the Machines: The Guide" (PDF). Dunedin Public Art Gallery. p. 2. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  24. ^ Entwisle, Peter (22 July 2013). "Well Worth Getting 'Among the Machines' Projections". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  25. ^ Strachan, Franky (30 August 2013). "Australasian New Media in Dunedin". EyeContact. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  26. ^ Smallman, Elton (15 July 2015). "National Contemporary Art Awards Winner Out of This World". Stuff. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  27. ^ "The Obstinate Object: Contemporary New Zealand Sculpture". City Gallery Wellington. n.d. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  28. ^ a b c Amery, Mark (10 April 2012). "The Stubbornness of Sculpture 2". EyeContact. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  29. ^ a b Freeman, Lynn (4 March 2012). "The Thorny Issue of Copyright". Arts on Sunday. Radio New Zealand. RNZ National. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  30. ^ "2012 Winners and Finalists". New Zealand Open Source Awards. 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Doctoral Student Profiles: Bronwyn Holloway-Smith". Massey University. n.d. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Haere mai!". Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand. n.d. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  33. ^ a b Chumko, André (25 July 2023). "New Register of 20th Century Art in NZ Launched". The Post. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  34. ^ a b "About". Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand. n.d. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Safeguarding 20th Century Artwork in Aotearoa from Disappearing". Afternoons. 26 July 2023. Radio New Zealand. RNZ National. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  36. ^ "Discovering and Protecting Our Public Art". Rangahau: Research at Massey. No. 4. Wellington: Massey University. 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Innovation Fund Recipients". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  38. ^ "Artworks". Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand. n.d. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  39. ^ Orsman, Bernard (2 December 2019). "Auckland Council Considering Selling One of Its Prize Buildings in the Central City". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  40. ^ "Bledisloe State Building (Auckland, N.Z.)". National Library of New Zealand. n.d. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  41. ^ "Untitled [Bledisloe House Frieze] (1956) Guy Ngan". Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand. n.d. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Toi Rauwhārangi Research Brings Rooftop Icon to Ground Level". Massey University College of Creative Arts. n.d. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  43. ^ "Guy Ngan". Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand. n.d. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  44. ^ "Bronwyn Holloway-Smith Bledisloe Bebop (2020)". Circuit. n.d. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
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