2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
Looking for a chapter event?
Past SPE Annual Conferences
exhibitions
Southwest Chapter Conference Schedule
print this pageNear Point
Nick Shepard
Saturday, October 19 - 9:00AM to 9:30AM
Kimball Arts 143
In my presentation I will discuss pictures I made while traveling throughout Aotearoa New Zealand in early 2024 for several months while on sabbatical. The project is ongoing, and my presentation will present different threads of work I have been exploring, ecological and artistic contexts around my project, as well as an exhibition I presented this July in Sacramento. I have been fortunate to have traveled to Aotearoa NZ several times since 2005, and have been struck by how both familiar and different it feels from the States. As a teacher and artist, my goal was to better understand New Zealand's natural, political, and cultural landscapes. I was interested in expanding my knowledge of New Zealand per se, and also as a lens through which to view California. Like California, Aotearoa NZ features gorgeous coasts and tall mountains; it has large areas devoted to agriculture as well as modern cities; it was the site of colonial expansion in the 19th century. Like many countries around the world, significant human uses have shaped a stunning landscape and impacted native species. Unlike some countries, its isolation has allowed robust efforts to preserve and highlight its native species to be successful. My photographic work explores the construction and consumption of spaces and images. This project has been influenced by many artists including Mark Adams, Teri Weifenbach, Florian Maier-Aichen, and Ryan Brenizer, and texts like The Mushroom at the End of the World and Tangata Whenua: A History. For this project I primarily photographed native, introduced, and invasive flora. I built on my technique from previous projects where I used multiple images stitched together to create large images. The title of the presentation, "Near Point", refers to the "the closest point at which an object can be placed and still form a focused image." Many of my photographs are made in extreme close up, revealing beautiful fine detail, but with reduced field of vision and confusing planes of focus. Like these visually alluring pictures, my understanding of Aotearoa NZ is both clearer and fuzzier than it was when I arrived. In some ways, this project speaks to the difficulty of understanding the big picture through fragments of experiences and interactions.
About
- Board Reports, Letters, and Minutes
- History
- Staff
- Board Members
- Board Committees
- Board Elections
- SPE Code of Conduct
- Caucuses
Join
Members
Annual Conference
- About the Conference
- Overview
- Speakers
- Schedule
- Registration
- Volunteer
- Sponsors
- Exhibit
- Anti-Harassment Policy
- Hotel & Travel
- Location + Travel
- Hotel
- Schedule of Events
- Schedule
News & Events
Chapters
Exposure Journal
About this piece
Comments about this piece
Dialogue and critique are important to the SPE mission.
Please join the conversation.