The chronicle of <cognition> is a collaborative project tracing histories of human and non-human cognition through a series of live events, online contributions and a large-scale wall work. With an emphasis on neurodiversity in Aotearoa, the project addresses how the topic of cognition inherently intersects with global discussions concerning white supremacy, disability, gender, sexuality, animal rights, biodiversity and artificial intelligence. Each contributor is asked to present a narrative thread that situates this discussion in relation to key events in a range of disciplines, such as science, technology, policy, activism, art, film or literature.
Content disclaimer: This work address historical and continuing discrimination against Māori, disabled and neurodivergent peoples that some people might find challenging.
The chronicle of <cognition> is part of the group exhibition Who can think, what can think.
About the contributors
Bruce E. Phillips (he/him, Pākehā/NZ European) is an Edinburgh-based arts practitioner from Aotearoa often working as a project manager, writer and curator. His practice is dedicated to working alongside others to address unrealised potential, overlooked histories or to confront social inequalities. Phillips has curated many exhibitions featuring over 200 artists such as Tania Bruguera, Ruth Ewan, Amanda Heng, Tehching Hsieh, Maddie Leach, William Pope.L, Peter Robinson, Santiago Sierra, Shannon Te Ao, Ruth Watson and The Otolith Group. As a writer he has contributed reviews and articles for art magazines and journals including ArtAsiaPacific, ArtLink Australia, Art News New Zealand and Contemporary HUM. In 2022, he completed a PhD through Massey University focusing on curatorial practice in Aotearoa.
Eugene Hansen (Maniapoto) has a long-term multimedia art practice exhibiting nationally and internationally. Eugene attributes his interest in collaboration to growing up in the remote rural Māori community where cultural production was modelled as an inherently collaborative embracing of mātauranga Māori. He gained a BFA (Sculpture) from Canterbury University in 1991 and an MFA (RMIT, Melbourne) in 1998.
Jenny Gillam is a multimedia artist interested in the socio-politics of ecology; aspects of current debate around ecological tensions; humankind’s relationship with animals and our place in the natural world. Her art projects are often produced collaboratively with other artists or with experts from other fields. Gillam trained as a photographer in the early 1990s and gained an MFA (RMIT, Melbourne) in 1999.
Graphic Design by Kalee Jackson
Videography and editing by Ian Powell