The Nightingale – Saturday, 8pm
When cable
television came on the scene in the late 70s not only did it increase
the number of channels available, but in many communities it also
created Public Access TV. Funded and equipped by the corporations that
reaped the profits, Public Access provided a platform for hobby
enthusiasts, amateur actors, wannabe talk-show hosts, political junkies,
and artists of all kinds to take over your boob tube each week. On the
eastern edge of the Canadian prairies, the citizens of Winnipeg
exploited this new format to it's fullest, with people such as
performance artist Glen Meadmore and a young Guy Maddin creating
masterworks of the medium. When SHAW cable took over the local system in
the late 80's, rumors circulated that they had destroyed the archives,
and Winnipeg illustrator, collector, animator, and overhead-projector
performer Daniel Barrow took action. He began researching and collecting
the programs that had been part of this creative explosion, many times
needing to track down VHS copies of shows from the producers and
viewers. In the Chicago edition of his ongoing project he will present a
selection of his favorite finds, side by side with his handcrafted
liner notes for each program. Part performance, part archival
presentation, this show promises to be a funny and nostalgic look back
at an era when technology and economics combined to give anyone with a
little initiative a chance to be a star for 30 minutes—or just a larger
platform to subvert the dominant paradigm. (1982-1999, approx. 90 min,
video and overhead projection) JH - Cine-File.info
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