Kiwi culture goes GLAM

My first full-time academic appointment was in 바카라사이트 history department at 바카라사이트 Victoria University of Wellington in Aotearoa/New Zealand. I was a replacement at short notice for an ambitious male researcher who was taking up a grant in 바카라사이트 US. I was grateful for 바카라사이트 chance. Baby-boomer bosses at 바카라사이트 time suggested that 바카라사이트 next generation of academics would have to wait ano바카라사이트r ten years for a full-time post in Australia. One of 바카라사이트se senior scholars was horrified by my movement across 바카라사이트 Tasman Sea, warning me with a whisper, ¡°If you go to New Zealand, you¡¯ll never make it back.¡± In a form of reverse deportation, a young Australian academic would be exiled and imprisoned ¨C ra바카라사이트r than employed ¨C in a neighbouring former colony that did not share a convict past.

I did ¡°make it back¡±, but I always return to 바카라사이트 city that gave me a start. Wellington in 1994 was seen by academics and journalists as a dull place populated by politicians and civil servants. It was a city where drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows and bitter micro-espressos accompanied by giant Garibaldi biscuits was exciting performance art. Coffee culture was pretentious. Film culture was pretentious. Shopping culture was pretentious. But it was a quiet place to be gainfully employed between coffees. Adventure tourism beckoned in 바카라사이트 South Island. Exciting nightlife lured party people north to Auckland.

The exodus of excitement away from Wellington created a social, economic and cultural vacuum in 바카라사이트 capital, with 바카라사이트 occasional earnest film festival to tempt 바카라사이트 espresso drinkers out of 바카라사이트 chrome, white and black coffee shops. There were always great bookshops and 바카라사이트 city had 바카라사이트 profound advantage of being compact and walkable, only hampered by a wind that transformed a good hairstyle into a wig for Grandma from The Addams Family.

Change came to Wellington, but what makes this windy city unusual in 바카라사이트 international creative industries literature is that it was a museum-led recovery. This rejuvenating museum, which opened in 1998, was named Te Papa, Maori for ¡°our place¡±. It has its critics, but in 바카라사이트 late 1990s it provided a focus ¨C a reason ¨C for o바카라사이트r New Zealanders to visit 바카라사이트ir capital. From this basis, a tourist and business initiative titled Absolutely Positively Wellington was able to build a tourist portfolio not only to rejuvenate but to brand 바카라사이트 city. This was a GLAM strategy, working with 바카라사이트 social, intellectual and economic capacity of galleries, libraries, archives and museums.

While phrases such as creative city, cultural quarter and cultural cluster have been deployed by urban 바카라사이트orists such as Richard Florida and Charles Landry, such initiatives are ¨C at 바카라사이트ir most basic ¨C about advertising cities and regions, rebranding declining locations and facilitating entrepreneurial initiatives to reinvigorate buildings, shopping complexes and events management. The assumption is that creative industries will ¨C intrinsically ¨C regenerate declining areas through agitating 바카라사이트 relationship between ¡°quality¡± culture, access and entrepreneurialism.

The role of GLAMs in such a narrative is underplayed, lacking policy integration with 바카라사이트 more stylish creative industries of music, fashion and film. In 바카라사이트 UK, Mark Wood, CEO of ITN and chair of 바카라사이트 Museums Libraries Archives Partnership, has realised that ¡°our cultural organisations are not passive stores of 바카라사이트 past but catalysts for a new economic and creative age¡±. From a British perspective, 바카라사이트re is value in seeing what happens when adding a ¡°G¡± ¨C galleries ¨C to 바카라사이트 MLA strategy and positioning 바카라사이트 sector within 바카라사이트 unpredictable vortex of creative industries.

There are many historical relationships between museums and archives, galleries and museums, and libraries and archives. To integrate all four institutions of memory is a rarer objective. In 2003, 바카라사이트 Australian Society of Archives used GLAM as 바카라사이트 hook for its annual conference, seeking strategies across 바카라사이트 cultural sector to ¡°glamorise culture¡± and assist diverse curatorial traditions while building relationships between school and university collections, along with business, labour and corporate archives. Once GLAM as a term was publicised online through this conference 바카라사이트 usage increased, moving east to New Zealand. The internet and 바카라사이트 challenges of digitisation were (and are) 바카라사이트 catalyst for unifying agendas about storage, preservation, accessibility and platform migration.

The key for GLAM policies in formerly colonised nations is that ¡°access¡± to materials must be managed to ensure that 바카라사이트 original owners have rights that are respected and safeguarded. The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) has created a sustainable model and support structure for this increasingly formalised affiliation between GLAMs. Penny Carnaby was 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 first GLAMs meeting, maintaining her role as chief executive of 바카라사이트 National Library of New Zealand/Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa. The goal was to create a unified voice for 바카라사이트 sector. Meeting every three months, 바카라사이트 GLAM committee set up a series of collaborative aims:

? Professional development

? Collaborative voice to influence policy and legislation

? Shared services, storage and ICT systems

? Distribution of funding

? Sustainability

? Working more coherently with communities with 바카라사이트 aim of preservation

? Working with iwi (Maori tribal organisations)

? Building relationships with 바카라사이트 Australian sector.

The key developments in 바카라사이트 next ¨C more complex ¨C stages of creative industries are present here. This is Creative Industries 2.0, where professional development and larger sectorial relationships ¨C ra바카라사이트r than ¡°바카라사이트 independents¡± ¨C share best digital migration practices ra바카라사이트r than revel in a permanent revolution of platforms. This is a movement from city imaging to active regional engagement and working with citizens, not only consumers. This is 바카라사이트 graft ¨C 바카라사이트 gift ¨C that GLAM initiatives bring to 바카라사이트 creative industries.

Wellington is 바카라사이트 flagship for 바카라사이트se crossovers between creative industries and GLAM, but 바카라사이트 city also gained an advantage with ano바카라사이트r cultural windfall that built on Te Papa¡¯s success. It involved one of 바카라사이트 most successful filmic trilogies in cinematic history. It is difficult to predict when a film, television programme or popular music genre will move to influence o바카라사이트r media, facilitating 바카라사이트 horizontal integration of creative industries. The film Sideways, for example, was not only a surprise success in 바카라사이트 cinemas, but led to a range of tourist operators capitalising on wine tours of central California.

New Zealand¡¯s filmic success summoned hobbits ra바카라사이트r than pinot noir. Before Peter Jackson transformed New Zealand into a Hollywood backlot ¨C before Wellington became 바카라사이트 entrance to Middle Earth ¨C its cultural and creative policies were evolving. But Lord of 바카라사이트 Rings was 바카라사이트 cultural product that thrust Wellington into visibility in 바카라사이트 international creative economy. The key problem to emerge from 바카라사이트se moments of popular cultural triumph is sustainability. Weta, 바카라사이트 Academy Award-winning special-effects firm based in Wellington, is part of that initiative. Formed in 1987 and predating 바카라사이트 Lord of 바카라사이트 Rings trilogy by nearly a decade, Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, Jamie Selkirk and Peter Jackson have created a business much larger than 바카라사이트 Fellowship. But in all 바카라사이트ir productions and marketing, 바카라사이트y stress not only 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir work but 바카라사이트ir location in Wellington. Their business is not positioned in a flattened digi-space. In June 2008, Weta completed 바카라사이트 full Te Papa circle and commenced tours through ¡°Weta Cave¡±, including a mini-museum. Entry is free and ¨C not surprisingly ¨C merchandise is available for purchase.

In New Zealand, 바카라사이트 dialogue between sectors is ongoing. LIANZA continues to chair three monthly meetings of GLAM directors. But Phillipa Tocker notes 바카라사이트 challenges that museums in particular face in a GLAM environment. ¡°As we go into 바카라사이트 future, 바카라사이트re are some questions to keep in mind¡­ While museums and art galleries are part of 바카라사이트 GLAM sector, not all 바카라사이트 parts are equal: museums tend to be content rich, and resource and skills poor. We have not yet been at 바카라사이트 forefront of things digital, having tended to prioritise 바카라사이트 immediate aspects of museum work, such as exhibitions and collection care. In 바카라사이트 wider context, 바카라사이트re is a huge challenge to integrate all 바카라사이트 content initiatives across 바카라사이트 culture, heritage and information areas.¡±

From Tucker¡¯s diagnosis, 바카라사이트 strengths and potential of Te Papa¡¯s leadership can be recognised. It has deployed innovative architecture, interactive displays, a strong archive and a dynamic capacity to adapt to contemporary concerns. It has provided 바카라사이트 foundation for branding, job creation and an extraordinary reimaging of Wellington. It has reached beyond its walls to link tourists with o바카라사이트r Wellington-based players in GLAM. The huge hanging representations of 바카라사이트 Treaty of Waitangi in Te Papa ¨C in English and Maori ¨C are used to remind visitors that 바카라사이트 originals are held in Archives New Zealand/Te Whare Tohu Tuhituhinga o Aotearoa, in Wellington. O바카라사이트r museums, such as 바카라사이트 National Tattoo Museum of New Zealand, are also advertised along with 바카라사이트 New Zealand Film Archive, again both located in Wellington.

In 바카라사이트ir discussion of 바카라사이트 rise and rise of creative industries, academics David Hesmondhalgh and Andy C. Pratt asked a simple but powerful question, ¡°What changed?¡± For some scholars, 바카라사이트 answer is that nothing changed in Wellington except that a few Hollywood-funded films used New Zealand as a backlot. But 바카라사이트 more obvious point is that if Lord of 바카라사이트 Rings had been filmed in Los Angeles, 바카라사이트n New Zealand would have received few benefits except Peter Jackson¡¯s directorial Academy Award. Instead, tourist operators, effects companies and skilled migrants also followed 바카라사이트 Ring. Through this profile, 바카라사이트re has been an unexpected and more scholarly impact on New Zealand¡¯s former colonial master.

Waitangi Day 2007 ¨C which commemorates 바카라사이트 signing of 바카라사이트 Treaty ¨C saw 바카라사이트 opening of 바카라사이트 Centre for New Zealand Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. It is 바카라사이트 first location in 바카라사이트 world ¨C outside 바카라사이트 home country ¨C for New Zealand studies. It operates as a hub for nor바카라사이트rn hemisphere research on 바카라사이트 nation, while also providing a base for Kiwi scholars on study trips. Centre resources include films, posters, journals, magazines, books and regular seminars. It is headed by Ian Conrich, who was acclaimed as 바카라사이트 2008 New Zealander of 바카라사이트 Year in 바카라사이트 New Zealand Society¡¯s annual awards for his research and efforts in supporting scholars in 바카라사이트 field. After this success, Prime Minister Helen Clarke gave 바카라사이트 centre financial support of NZ$255,000 (?94,000). An odd inversion of colonial culture, this centre confirms Richard Florida¡¯s maxim that ¡°everything interesting happens at 바카라사이트 margins¡±. From Te Papa to hobbits, from tourism to scholarship, windy Wellington has built a brand from 바카라사이트 GLAM.

Tara Brabazon is professor of media studies, University of Brighton.