More TV Stories

Abstract: A woman, probably Segalove, narrates brief dramatizations of six anecdotal stories, each of which relates in some way to watching television. The dramatizations are humorous and mainly autobiographical, featuring performers wearing everyday clothing in everyday environments. Produced and directed by Ilene Segalove. The individual segments are as follow: The Pastrami Sandwich: A child watches the Burns and Allen show and realizes he wants a pastrami sandwich. Dial 116: A child watching television is prompted by an advertisement to call and report a nonexistent fire. Truth on TV: Driving home, a couple listens to the radio broadcast remarks of a child who reached out and caught a ball at an L.A. Dodgers game. Hotel Suite: A couple checks into a hotel. The woman is excited by the cleanliness of the room, even the television has been sanitized. Anatomy in Motion: After experiencing stomach pain, a woman is x-rayed. She drinks a barium milkshake and the nurses whisper descriptions of foods in her ear, encouraging her stomach to create juices and appear on the nearby monitor. The Forbidden Channel. The Forbidden Channel: A young girl's parent's purchase a cable television system that provides access to a pornographic channel; they forbid their daughter to watch the channel and leave for the evening; when surfing the stations, the girl performs an elaborate gymnastic tumbling pass when the forbidden channel comes up, thus averting her gaze. The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was a joint venture between Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) and WGBH's New Television Workshop. Funding came from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities' New Works program in 1983. Co-directors were WGBH's Susan Dowling (New Television Workshop Director, 1982-1993), and David Ross (ICA Director). Kathy Rae Huffman served as curator and producer. The Fund's primary objective was to award money to video artists for new works. The goals were to foster excellence in the exploration of television as a creative medium, broaden video arts international audience through broadcast and gallery exhibition, and increase revenues for artists from the distribution of their works in all markets. Many of the works were broadcast as part of 'New Television,' and appeared in festivals worldwide. The Fund was also used to sponsor international symposia among curators, distributors, and producers to help promote the growth of video art. In 1990, the ICA assumed full sponsorship of the Fund, where it continued for another year.

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