AUT X Villa Antipode – Public talk

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) will host French artist and researcher Camille Bleu-Valentin, current Te Whare Hēra 2026 Resident, for a public talk on 11 March 2026.

The event is presented by AUT’s School of Future Environments and Art & Design in partnership with Villa Antipode, the French Embassy in New Zealand, Institut Français, and Te Whare Hēra (Massey University College of Creative Arts). It forms part of an expanding international ecosystem of collaboration between France and Aotearoa across art, architecture, design, and transdisciplinary research.

Each year, AUT hosts a French creative practitioner under the Te Ataata Residency Programme, a joint initiative between AUT and the French Embassy. The programme fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, research exchange, and cultural dialogue between the two countries. The 2026 AUT Te Ataata Artist-in-Residence is Alizée Armet, who will undertake her residency from 6 July – 28 August 2026.

Camille Bleu-Valentin’s visit provides an opportunity to showcase the wider network of partnerships linking AUT, Villa Antipode, Te Whare Hēra, Alliance Française, and the French Embassy. The event highlights how international residencies contribute to creative research, public engagement, and cultural diplomacy in Aotearoa.

The talk will explore Bleu-Valentin’s practice and research, followed by discussion and networking with students, staff, and partners.

Together, these partnerships strengthen transdisciplinary art–science research, cultural diplomacy, and international mobility between France and Aotearoa.

This public talk serves to promote Villa Antipode, Alliance Française, and the Te Whare Hēra residency programme ahead of Te Ataata, positioning AUT as a key partner within this collaborative international network.

• 11.30am – 12pm | Arrival & Refreshments
  Guests arrive
  Light refreshments
• 12 – 12.10pm | Welcome & Context
  Professor Charles Walker
  Welcome and overview of the AUT–France relationship
  History, purpose and future of Te Ataata
  Introduction of incoming Te Ataata 2026 Artist-in-Residence
  (TBC*: short video message from Antoine Bertin – previous resident, Venice Biennale follow-up)
• 12.10 – 12.15pm | Residency Partnerships
  Massey University Representative
  Context and history of Te Whare Hēra residency
  Introduction of Camille Bleu-Valentin

• 12.15 – 12.45pm | Artist Talk
  Camille Bleu-Valentin
  Presentation on practice, research, and residency work
• 12.45 – 1pm |  Practice & Collaboration at AUT
  Clinton Watkins  — Art–research collaborations at AUT
• 1 – 1.15pm | Q&A
• 1.10 – 1.40pm | Networking
  Informal discussion
  Light refreshments
  Opportunity to connect with artists, staff, students, and partners