Series: New Television
Program: New Television
Episode: 306 (1987)
Date: 1987-01-01
Subject: Childhood; Errors
Copyright Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation; Lynn Hershman

Clip Description
This episode of "New Television" features Jeanne C. Finley's "Common Mistakes," Lynn Hershman's "Confessions of a Chameleon," and Woody Vasulka's "Art of Memory."

Common Mistakes "Common Mistakes," by Jeanne C. Finley is a politicized look at the notion of mistakes, combining definitions of words such as fallacy, accident, and blunder with a documentary-style presentation of historical events. The piece is approximately 16 minutes long. Directed by Jeanne C. Finley and Peter Kirby.

Confessions of a Chameleon Lynn Hershman's "Confessions of a Chameleon," features the narration of a single woman who tells multiple and overlapping stories about her life. Are they real, or elaborate fabrication? Produced and directed by Lynn Hershman, the piece is approximately 9 minutes long. Produced and directed by Lynn Hershman. Copyright: Lynn Hershman.

Art of Memory Using Vasulka's manipulation of video technology, "Art of Memory" recontextualizes historical events through their juxtaposition with southwestern desert-scapes. This abbreviated section of his work focuses on the Robert Oppenheimer and his participation in the development of the atomic bomb. The piece is approximately 4 minutes long.

Program Description
This episode of "New Television" features Jeanne C. Finley's "Common Mistakes," Lynn Hershman's "Confessions of a Chameleon," and Woody Vasulka's "Art of Memory."

Common Mistakes "Common Mistakes," by Jeanne C. Finley is a politicized look at the notion of mistakes, combining definitions of words such as fallacy, accident, and blunder with a documentary-style presentation of historical events. The piece is approximately 16 minutes long. Directed by Jeanne C. Finley and Peter Kirby.

Confessions of a Chameleon Lynn Hershman's "Confessions of a Chameleon," features the narration of a single woman who tells multiple and overlapping stories about her life. Are they real, or elaborate fabrication? Produced and directed by Lynn Hershman, the piece is approximately 9 minutes long. Produced and directed by Lynn Hershman. Copyright: Lynn Hershman.

Art of Memory Using Vasulka's manipulation of video technology, "Art of Memory" recontextualizes historical events through their juxtaposition with southwestern desert-scapes. This abbreviated section of his work focuses on the Robert Oppenheimer and his participation in the development of the atomic bomb. The piece is approximately 4 minutes long.

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/New228.HTML