Australian artists and organizations have been working closely with Asian counterparts over the last dozen years. The focus has been on ‘action now’ – new productions, books, and exhibitions. Yet how much do we know of the wider picture? What material is available if we want to know more, to dig deeper, and to gain greater understanding? In the visual arts there are publications on contemporary art and traditional practice, but is this enough? In performing arts there is little even on contemporary practice. And literature? It is time to think about what we need to know, who will provide it, who really is the audience, and how to deliver it to them.

Speakers engaged in providing 'knowledge' from the region set the scene:

Claire Hsu Director, Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong
Kanaga Sabapathy Director, Contemporary Asian Arts Centre, Singapore
Philip Yampolsky Program Officer for Media, Arts and Culture, The Ford Foundation, Jakarta
Lauren Bain Researcher/writer on contemporary theatre in Indonesia, Canberra

Claire Hsu's area of interest is the visual arts across Asia and building an archive in Hong Kong; Kanaga Sabapathy's is cross art form, currently publishing books on the visual arts, literature and performing arts of Singapore/Malaysia; Philip Yampolsky's specific interest is in the performing arts, especially music, and the acknowledgement and encouragement of knowledge of traditional art forms. Lauren Bain has long experience as an arts manager as well as specific interest in Indonesian performing arts.

The discussion covered the type of content to be provided: historical, contextual, art form specific, culture or country specific; in English; and to what standard. Was the audience the general public or students or professionals? How large is it? Could it grow? Where do they live? What level of information do they want or need? How should this knowledge be distributed? By publication? If so, to what level, in what language, and at what price? Through technological means? Through teaching individually? Through the media? Through curriculum course changes? Through national or international agreements? Is there a priority list of material in the next, say, five years? What would your recommendations be? What do you need, as an arts practitioner, writer, arts manager, policy maker, publisher or educator?

Breakout sessions were chaired by Sue Hunt, General Manager, Queensland Theatre Company, Suhanya Raffel, Senior Curator, Asian Art, Queensland Art Gallery, and Susan Hawthorne, writer and publisher at Spinifex Press. The Plenary was led by Kathe Kirby, Director, Asia Knowledge Unit, University of Melbourne.

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