Series: New Television
Program: New Television
Date: 1988-01-01
Subject: Revolving doors
People: Luby, Abby

Clip Description
This short work by Abby Lubby shows the power of the camera as choreographer. Scenes of people exiting a city building through its revolving door are played backwards so that they appear to be entering the door. The effect is odd. The individuals seem to instinctively know where the door is and to enter its path of motion without so much as a look over their shoulder. Close-ups of the door in motion are incorporated. No credit information outside of the artist's name is supplied.

The work is approximately three and one-half minutes in length and was broadcast as a segment of episode 505 (1989), and episode 108 (1991), of "New Television."

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/Buddhas64.HTML