MEDIA RELEASE

7 March 2013

New exhibition unlocks Taranaki’s ‘Photographic Memory’

A “snapshot” of Taranaki life spanning eight decades will be on show at Puke Ariki museum, in New Plymouth from April.

Photographic Memory: The Swainson/Woods Collection runs from 13 April to 28 July 2013 and will feature an eclectic array of images from the collection of 110,000 negatives.

The collection combines images from two New Plymouth-based photography businesses, Swainson’s Studios and Bernard Woods Studios, extending from 1923 – 1997.

“When you consider the time period, this makes it an incredible snapshot, quite literally, of the Taranaki community,” says Ruth Harvey, Puke Ariki’s pictorial collection curator, who has co-curated Photographic Memory with colleague Charlotte Stace, the museum’s pictorial collection technician.

Bernard Woods’ daughter Jennie donated the negatives to Puke Ariki in 2007 with encouragement from the New Plymouth branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists. Since then the collection has been cleaned, catalogued and re-housed to ensure its long-term preservation. From 1 July, a three-year project will begin to digitise to images.

Puke Ariki acting manager Kelvin Day says Photographic Memory will demonstrate the diversity and richness of this collection.

“It’s really a teaser as we go into the digitisation stage, which will make all the images available to the community through our website,” he says.

Mr Day adds he hopes the exhibition will be a time of discovery for visitors.

“It will be a trip down memory lane for many people and I hope it will provoke a lot of discussion, laughter and reminiscing.”

Photographic Memory will feature printed photos, a selection of studio ephemera and about 200 projected images.

Ms Harvey says the exhibition asks two key questions – why do people have their photograph taken and why do the photographs look the way they do?

It also explores four themes of studio photography – portraiture, family, weddings and groups such as schools, teams, musical groups and workplaces.

The show is not just about looking, but participating.

Co-curator Charlotte Stace says, “The exhibition includes a number of activities designed to be fun and engaging for visitors, including families”.

One section, called Top of the Shots, invites people to vote on their favourite of 20 stand-out photographs.

“This is the Swainson/Woods Collection countdown,” Ms Stace says.

Another feature will be a competition encouraging people to reconstruct their favourite Swainson/Woods image.

“No Photoshop allowed,” she says.

After Photographic Memory closes at Puke Ariki, the Top of the Shots section will go on a regional tour to Stratford, Hawera, Inglewood and Patea.

The exhibition Photographic Memory is supported by the Taranaki Electricity Trust and Puke Ariki Development Charitable Trust . The preservation and digitsation of the Swainson/Woods Collection has been supported by the Taranaki Electricity Trust, NZ Lottery Grants Board and TSB Community Trust.

ENDS

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