In 2016 I attended the first PHOTOBOOK NZ in Wellington. The event brought together the New Zealand photobook community and other members from Australia. For two and a half days in March photobooks were discussed, many were bought and stories were shared about the state of the discipline in the Antipodes and where it fitted in the international context. What follows is the PBNZ 2016 program illustrated by photos and a video that I made during the event.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REPORT ON THE PBNZ 2016 and not the 2020 event

2016: Friday, March 11th 5.30 – 7.30 PM

OPENING PARTY

Celebrate the opening of Photobook New Zealand with wine, nibbles and music. Special collections of New Zealand and international photography books to browse and buy.

New Zealand Photobook of the Year winners will be announced by Libby Jeffery of MomentoPro.

Ans Westra with Simon Woolf

A photo of the NZ Photobook of the Year Finalists

Libby Jeffery with Solomon Mortimer and Mark Purdom – Winners of the NZ Photobook of the Year Award PHOTO: Doug Spowart

S E L F   P U B L I S H E D  WINNER

T R A D E   P U B L I S H E D   WINNER

From Certainty to Doubt by Mark Purdom, Ramp Press

2016: Day One: Saturday, March 12th 9.30 AM – 6.00 PM

ALL DAY BOOK FAIR

Photobooks from independent photographers and small presses. Specially curated collections and exhibitions from the Asia Pacific region, Mexico and New Zealand. The New Zealand Photobook of the Year finalists on display.

Peoples’ Choice voting continues.

The PBNZ Photobook Fair

Ying Ang at the PBNZ Photobook Fair

Solomon Mortimer at the PBNZ Photobook Fair

Bruce Connew at the PBNZ Photobook Fair

Harry Culy + David Straight PHOTO: Libby Jeffery

Haru from Rim Photobooks at the PBNZ Photobook Fair

Ron Brownson, Harvey Benge and Mark Purdom viewing Ana Paula Estrada’s Mexican Photobook exhibition

Harvey Benge and Me at the PBNZ Photobook Fair

Daniel Boetker-Smith viewing the ‘On Reading Photobooks’ exhibitionhe

2016: Saturday, March 12th 10.00 AM

WELCOME TO THE PIT

2016: Saturday, March 12th 10.15 – 11.15 AM

YING ANG: The Gold Coast unveiled

Ying Ang: Gold Coast. Award-winning photobook exploring a darker side of the tourist paradise with allusive photographs and texts.

Melbourne/New York based Ying talks about all aspects of making and distributing the book. Ying Ang signs copies of Gold Coast.

2016: Saturday, March 12th 11.45 AM

Launch and lunch (floor event)

Grab a bite from our lunch table and help celebrate the launch of exciting new photobooks:

The launches included:

• Bruce Connew: Body of Work
• Harry Culy: new titles from Bad News Books
• Tim J Veling: D, P, O (Dad, Pete, Opa)
• Serena Giovanna Stevenson: No English Darling

2016: Saturday, March 12th 1.30 – 2.30 PM

Autobiography in photographs

Tim J Veling talks about his photography and book making practice, highlighting his autobiographical bodies of his work including Pre-marital Bliss, D, P, O (Dad, Pete, Opa), and Red Bus Diary

2016: Saturday, March 12th 2.35 – 3.35 PM

Photobooks of the Asia Pacific region

Daniel Boetker-Smith discusses the unique collection of photobooks in the Melbourne-based Asia Pacific Photobook archive and opportunities for getting your book into the world.

2016: Saturday, March 12th 3.40 – 4.00 PM

The book as exhibition

(Floor talk)

Open Book is a travelling exhibition of experimental photobooks by twelve New Zealand artists. Coordinator Shelley Jacobson talks about the project.

2016: Saturday, March 12th 4.15 – 5.15 PM

New Zealand Photobooks – From Daniel Louis Mundy’s

Rotomahana to Harvey Benge’s Le Flâneur

Ron Brownson: Illustrated books have a long history in New Zealand. Daniel Louis Mundy made the first book with images, Harvey Benge now makes a number of books every year. The diversity and intention of local photobooks shows the vitality of the medium.

AT CITY GALLERY – Gary Baigent + Ann Shelton

Chief Curator Robert Leonard with Gary Baigent+Ann Shelton

Baigent’s Unseen City

Baigent photographs from Unseen City

2016: Day Two: Sunday, March 13th 9. 30 – 10.30 AM

Getting your photobook into the world

What does it take to give your photobook legs? As the world of photobooks expands, so do the strategies for distribution. This panel brings together three outstanding practitioners who are working hard to shift books locally and internationally.

With the following NZ photobook identities:

• Harvey Benge –Internationally published photobook author
• Bruce Connew – Social and political documentary photographer and bookmaker
• Anita Tótha – Director of Remote Books, NZ photobook distributors
• Chair: David Cook – photographer, bookmaker, Massey University lecturer

l-r David Cook, Harvey Benge, Bruce Connew + Anita Tótha speaking

David Cook speaks

Bruce Connew gives his opinion

Harvey Benge presents a manifesto…

2016: Sunday, March 13th 11.00 AM – 12.00 PM

Photobooks on film

Documentary film screening of Pictures on Paper – Photobooks in New Zealand (film 30 min.) presented by the Tangent Photography Collective (Becky Nunes and Anita Totha) – featuring Haruhiko Sameshima, Ann Shelton, Harvey Benge, Shelley Jacobson, Solomon Mortimer and David Cook.

2016: Sunday, March 13th 12.15 – 1.15 PM

Designing the perfect photobook

How do designers and photographers work together to make strong photobooks? Three of New Zealand’s leading photobook designers (with enough awards between them to sink a flotilla) discuss the language of the photobook, materiality and the emergent e-book.

• Catherine Griffiths – Independent designer and typographer
• Neil Pardington – Photographer and Base Two creative director
• Jonty Valentine – Graphic designer and co-producer of The National Grid Chair
• Libby Jeffery – Marketing Manager, MomentoPro

AND THEN WITH CLOSING REMARKS IT WAS ALL OVER… Until 2018!

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE 2016 PROGRAM – Click 2016-Programme_PhotobookNZ

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After hearing Ron Brownson’s presentation I visited the Wellington National Library and hunted out a few of the key books mentioned in his canon of NZ Photobooks…

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Unless otherwise credited all photographs by Doug Spowart ©2016.

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