RealTime (arts magazine)

Contents

RealTime (arts magazine) was an Australian quarterly magazine covering contemporary performance art, music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and multimedia practices. Founded in 1994 and concluding print publication in 2013, the magazine chronicled festivals, exhibitions, and commissions associated with institutions such as the Melbourne Festival, Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Biennale of Sydney, and the Perth International Arts Festival. Contributors included critics and practitioners linked to organizations like Australia Council for the Arts, National Gallery of Victoria, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Victorian Centre for Contemporary Art.

History

RealTime emerged in 1994 amid debates in Australian cultural institutions including the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council Theatre Board about support for experimental performance art and sound art. Early editorial projects engaged with festivals such as the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Adelaide Festival of Arts while reporting on commissions from venues like the Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre Melbourne. Over the 1990s and 2000s RealTime documented events at the Biennale of Sydney, collaborations with companies like Sydney Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia, and critical discussions stimulated by biennials such as the Brisbane Festival and international gatherings like the Performa and Venice Biennale. The publication adapted through the shifts in arts funding influenced by reports from the Australia Council and policy debates during administrations of the Howard ministry and the Rudd government before ceasing regular print runs and moving archival content online.

RealTime maintained an editorial board featuring editors, critics, and artists associated with institutions including the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Monash University, RMIT University, and Griffith University. Regular contributors included writers and practitioners connected to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria, Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, and Sotheby's-affiliated commentators. The magazine's commissioning editors solicited reviews and essays from critics who had written for outlets such as The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Artforum, and Frieze. Guest editors curated themed issues in partnership with festivals like the Melbourne Festival, institutions such as Arts House, and ensembles including Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

RealTime published reviews, interviews, feature essays, and critical dossiers on works by artists and collectives including Chunky Move, Force Majeure, Francesca Woodman, Nick Cave (artist), William Yang, and practitioners linked to venues such as the Belvoir St Theatre, Carriageworks, 45 Downstairs, and Malthouse Theatre. The magazine covered interdisciplinary practices spanning sound art projects by artists associated with Sydney Conservatorium of Music, experimental electronic music scenes linked to Modular Records and Future Classic, and film programs showcased at the Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival. Thematic special issues probed topics with reference to events like the Biennale of Sydney, exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery (Australia), and commissions for the Sydney Biennale.

RealTime operated with a hybrid model influenced by partnerships with organizations such as the Australia Council for the Arts, state arts agencies like Create NSW and Arts Victoria, and commercial sponsors including media groups associated with Fairfax Media and News Corp Australia. Print distribution targeted institutions including the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, university libraries at the University of Melbourne and University of Sydney, and independent bookshops like Readings and Gleebooks. Digital archiving later aligned with platforms used by cultural bodies such as the National Library of Australia and networks including the Australian Performing Arts Collection.

RealTime was cited in critical debates alongside publications such as Artforum, Frieze, Granta, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald for shaping discourse around practitioners like Chunky Move, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, and artists exhibited at the Biennale of Sydney and Venice Biennale. Scholars from universities including Monash University, RMIT University, and University of New South Wales referenced RealTime in work on contemporary performance art and sound art, and its reviews informed programming decisions at festivals like the Melbourne Festival and the Adelaide Festival of Arts. The magazine influenced curatorial practice at institutions such as the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales and contributed to archival collections at the National Library of Australia.

Archives of RealTime's print and online output were preserved through collections at the National Library of Australia, state libraries including the State Library of Victoria and the State Library of New South Wales, and university special collections at University of Melbourne Special Collections and University of Sydney Library. The publication's legacy persists in scholarly citations in journals like Performance Research, Dance Research Journal, Journal of Contemporary Art, and in retrospectives mounted by festivals such as the Melbourne Festival and institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Its records continue to inform curators and researchers working with collections at the National Gallery of Australia and archives associated with the Australia Council for the Arts.

Category:Australian magazines Category:Arts magazines