Kia ora!

You’ve reached the homepage of Danny Butt, a writer, teacher and consultant on culture and technology, based in Aotearoa New Zealand.

I’ve worked as an academic in the art and design schools for fifteen years – since 2007 I have lectured in the Critical Studies programme at the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts, in the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries. For a few years before that I primarily worked as a partner at Suma Media Consulting, mostly working on new business developments in the creative sector (design, online video) for a range of clients, and on a number of Asia-Pacific ICT-for-development (ICT4D) projects funded by United Nations agencies. I am a Certified Management Consultant and full member of the Institute for Management Consultants New Zealand. From 2002-2003 I was inaugural Director of the Creative Industries Research Centre at the Waikato Institute of Technology in Hamilton. I currently sit on the Creative Industries Advisory Group for Auckland City.

Usually, though, I think about art more than anything. I have worked for a long time in the new media arts sector, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region and local knowledge systems. At the end of 2005 a few of us ran the excellent Cultural Futures symposium at Hoani Waititi, a meeting of indigenous and non-indigenous cultural practitioners from across the Asia Pacific. A great book from the event called PLACE: Local Knowledge and New Media Practice came out via Cambridge Scholars Publishing. I also work with my friends in the Local Time collective on intercultural and site-specific arts projects – Alex has an overview on her site.

I recently submitted my PhD at the University of Melbourne on the incorporation of art schools into the university system, and the implications for academic research methods. My MA research at Macquarie University (2005) explored socio-economic inequality in the information economy.

I am an Australian by birth, but I’ve been in Aotearoa for 19 years now and call it home. In previous lives, I have been an interaction designer, arts administrator, community media worker, and musician. I also help out my brother’s excellent surf travel business Surfbanyak.com with communications as well – if you need a surf trip, that’s one of the best you could find. Drop me a line at the contact details below.

Contact:

danny at dannybutt.net

Phone: +64 21 456 379

MBE P145,
Private Bag 92175
Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand