Janet Chan's talk will introduce audiences to a number of strategic aspects of Asia Art Archive's projects and programmes since its foundation in 2000, with focus on how AAA's various research initiatives set up framework for its collection development and public programmes, and ultimately, how AAA envisions itself in networking/mapping the region. Than Thanaren, head of archiving at Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center, Phnom Penh, will translate and moderate the evening.

About the speaker
Janet Chan joined Asia Art Archive (AAA) in 2007 to serve as its first Research Coordinator. Key projects she has administered over the years include: AAA Research Grant (2007 onwards); AAA Residency Programme (2007 onwards); 'October Contemporary' (2008, 2009); and 'Action Script: Symposium on Performance Art Practice and Documentation in Asia' (2010). Her major duties include coordinating the archive's Research+ Team, currently stationed in research posts in 6 Asian cities, and working closely with the Head of Research+ to develop in-depth research projects, public programmes, focused collections, and to oversee overall acquisitions of the archive. Janet is currently supervising a number of AAA's digitisation and archiving projects in the region.

Janet earned a master's degree in new media art studies at the University of Hong Kong, Department of Comparative Literature, in 2004. In addition to AAA, Janet has been proactively engaged in a number of independent art initiatives such as wrongplace, a Hong Kong-based research collective (2008 onwards) and GuLLDY, an artist collective committed to exploring open-source applications in media art (2003-2007).

Based in Hong Kong, Asia Art Archive (AAA) is an independent art organizations dedicated to documenting the recent history of contemporary art in Asia within an international context. For details about AAA, please visit www.aaa.org.hk.

About the moderator
Than Thanaren is currently Archives Department Manager at Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre in Phnom Penh. She earned a Masters degree in Media and Cultural Project Management, European Center for Research, Training and Education in Digital Media, INA'Sup, France (2010) and a Bachelor's degree in French Literature, Royal University of Phnom Penh/RUPP (2002). Than has Diplomas in Journalism, RUPP (2002); French Professorate, Foreign Language Institute Cambodia (2002); English Media + Culture Communication, Pannassastra University, Phnom Penh (2004); Audiovisual Research Analysis, Audiovisual National Institute, France. Than has contributed to many notable projects including as Project Executive on Indexing the Radio Collection of His Majesty the King Father Norodom Sihanouk, Audiovisual National Institute, France (2009). She has directed or produced both documentary and feature films and contributed papers to international conferences including both the Second and Third Asian Seminar on Audiovisual Archives .For more details about Bophana, please visit www.bophana.org.