Clinton Johnston is an independent researcher working out of Sydney, NSW, Australia. His research explores the intersection of localities with national stories in both contemporary and historical contexts. He has also written on librarianship and First World War Art. He is currently Coordinator, History Services at Marrickville Council.

Complicating Nation

Assemblage theory, heterogeneity and the Visions of Australia program

The Visions of Australia program, established in 1994, plays a significant role in the touring of exhibitions from, and to, regional and interstate locations across Australia. Through an examination of Round 32 of the Visions of Australia program this article explores the intersection of localities in the conception of a national culture. Focusing on the exhibitions MAYS, Australian Minescapes, Smalltown and Robert Dowling it illustrates that assemblage theory presents an alternative conception of national culture that focuses upon relationships and networks, as opposed to a traditional conception of a set society and culture. Within the framework of Latour’s ‘society of assemblages’ it concludes that these exhibitions operate within a heterogeneous national culture that is continually redefined and reoriented through a spectrum of external and internal relationships.