Series: New Television
Program: New Television
Episode: 305 (1987)
Date: 1987-01-01
Subject: Modern dance; Landscape
Copyright Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation; Mary Lucier

Clip Description
This episode of "New Television" features Mary Lucier's "In the Blink of an Eye, Amphibian Dreams... If I Could Fly, I Would Fly."

In the Blink of an Eye, Amphibian Dreams... If I Could Fly, I Would Fly "If I Could Fly, I Would Fly" features the camera and video work of artist Mary Lucier and the choreography of Elizabeth Streb. Streb and other performers are seen in natural environments such as water, a sandy beach, and a grassy meadow. The dancers are often filmed in close-ups, so that their bodies appear suspended as they leap, jump, or twist. The work becomes increasingly more aerial, and the final segment shows the performers engaging in trampoline and trapeze work.

Program Description
This episode of "New Television" features Mary Lucier's "In the Blink of an Eye, Amphibian Dreams... If I Could Fly, I Would Fly."

In the Blink of an Eye, Amphibian Dreams... If I Could Fly, I Would Fly "If I Could Fly, I Would Fly" features the camera and video work of artist Mary Lucier and the choreography of Elizabeth Streb. Streb and other performers are seen in natural environments such as water, a sandy beach, and a grassy meadow. The dancers are often filmed in close-ups, so that their bodies appear suspended as they leap, jump, or twist. The work becomes increasingly more aerial, and the final segment shows the performers engaging in trampoline and trapeze work.

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/New227.HTML