Series: New Television
Program: New Television
Episode: 410
Date: 1987-01-01
Subject: Motion; Causation
People: Fischli, Peter; Weiss, David
Copyright Holder: T & C Film AG, Peter Fischli, and David Weiss

Clip Description
"The Way Things Go" examines simple laws of physics, presenting a symphony of cause and effect, using simple household and industrial items. In an empty warehouse, a succession of events take place that set into motion a prolonged chain reaction. Tires, ladders, ramps, garbage bags, and bottles twist, spin, tilt, and fall, hurtling into one another with a domino effect. Bottles full of water are tipped over and spill into cavities below, the increased weight of which sets attached wheels into motion. Candles and lit objects are propelled into space, causing explosions and traveling fires.The events are presented with very few edits. The work is approximately 31 minutes long. Produced by Hans Ulrich Jordi and Marcel Hoehn.

Program Description
This episode of "New Television" features "Aviation Memories" by Alexander Hahn, "Der Lauf der Dinge" by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, and "The Thundering Scream of Seraphin's Delight" by Reynold Weidenaar.

"Aviation Memories" is a "virtual multi-channel video installation" using images derived from the illustrations of the Dutch artist, Jan Vredeman de Vries. Copyright: Alexander Hahn.

"Der Lauf der Dinge", loosely translated as "the way things go," examines the simple laws of physics, presenting a symphony of cause and effect. Copyright: T & C Film AG, Peter Fischli, and David Weiss.

Richard Weidenaar's image-processed work entitled "The Thundering Scream of Seraphin's Delight" presents close-up shots of a double bass, saturated with vibrant color highlights. Copyright: Magnetic Media Publishing Co.

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/Lauf142.HTML