The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

project, they have to be introduced within the frame of exhibitions (usually long-term projects) in a museum. LR The benefit of performance art lies in activating the spaces and objects held in museums. This in turn challenges notions of what the ‘white cube’ can be and can bring to new audiences. Performance art encourages Māori and Pacific Islanders to engage in new creative forms outside their comfort zone. This can also be a risk, as it can lead to audience misunderstanding. Conservation is an issue as there can be a risk to artworks and objects in the museum; unusual materials such as smoke machines can cause damage, and viewing can be compromised. Often acoustics are overlooked in galleries, which are generally not made for high sound levels — they have hard surfaces not conducive to sound or dance, which can compromise the performance. From a staffing perspective, these productions may require a different mindset and technical skill-set to deliver. As ‘one-off’ events, they can require a lot of support outside the institution’s capability. Mangere Art Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku (MAC) in Auckland has been very supportive of performance work and one reason they can ensure delivery is because MAC also has a fully functioning theatre, including technicians and appropriate equipment. BC I think this kind of work faces challenges and risks like every piece of institutionalised art. The relationship with the institution and the conditions of encounter and separation is a challenge for every single presentation within institutional contexts. Again, museums are ritualised structures with political efficacy for communicating cultural values. By incorporating live-based works in their programs they open greater possibilities for reconfiguring these ritualised structures, which could be of great importance for institutions. We have witnessed in recent years a change in institutional collecting policies and the understanding of ownership, for example, and usually these are in relation to immaterial, live-based works such as those by Tino Sehgal or Les Gens d’ Uterpan. YIL It is a fairly rare occurrence for performance art to be staged at our National Art Gallery of Malaysia. Buka Jalan International Performance Art Festival presented by Buka Kolektif (an independent performance art