Dr Johnson Witehira will introduce us to The Space Between Us, A global indigenous-led project that explores how digital and new media art, created through innovative workshops and symposia, might create new paradigms for indigenous community engagement. Led by an indigenous project team with well-established connections to the broader international Indigenous community, the project aims to enhance critical knowledge in digital and new media and broaden knowledge by integrating Indigenous epistemologies into existing structures.

Working with an extensive group of indigenous research collaborators, The Space Between Us team is creating a lasting network extending to remote regions across Canada, the Pacific, and the Circumpolar world, enhancing currently underdeveloped connections between these shared historical colonial spaces. The wider indigenous leadership team represents all the regions the project covers. Members of The Indigenous Leadership Team: Dr Julie Nagam (The University of Winnipeg), Dr Heather Igloliorte (Concordia University), Rachael Rakena (Massey University), Dr Johnson Witehira (APOPO Indigenous CreativeTech Hub), Dr Sanna Valkonen (University of Lapland), Dr Brian Martin (Monash University), Dr Stephen Gilchrist (University of Sydney), Dr Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua (University of Hawaii at Manoa), and Niki Little (imagineNATIVE).

During this talk Dr Witehira will present research and outputs from some of the key activities undertaken by The Space Between Us projects to date, focusing on the recent Nuit Blanche festival in Toronto and his recent creative collaboration with project lead Dr. Julie Nagam at The Dowse in Lower Hutt, Wellington.