Electronic Superhighway (Origins of Video Art)

        After doing the reading, I looked up Nam June Paik to see what some of his work looked like. I came across this untitled 1993 piece that is described as “elegiac” – the screens play footage from cameras inside the player piano, showing the workings of the instrument as it plays ragtime music. Two of the monitors apparently show images of the late John Cage, who, as the reading explained, was an influence for Paik. I think it’s interesting that the artwork combines both the technology of a player piano and also that of screens and cameras to make a piece that is just so actively self-exhibitionist; it isn’t just sitting there to be seen. 
        I also found a 1995 piece titled “Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S.,Alaska, Hawaii”  that I thought did a really great job integrating video art, physical art, and television commentary all in one go. This piece is made up of different-colored neon lights that trace the shapes of the United States. Inside these shapes are 51 video screens playing loops of images that are, as the description says, “‘seen as though from a passing car’”. These clips were also accompanied by audio from classic American films. The piece is reminiscent of neon road signs that you see when driving down highways or quiet roads at night, giving off a very roadtrip-esque vibe. The different images on the screens and the different colors of neon indicate the individuality of states and regions in the country. And of course, the audio from the movies indicates how much of our perception of “America” is affected by film and television. 
        According to the Smithsonian’s description, Paik was the first person to ever use the phrase “electronic superhighway”. In a way, we don’t need to travel across the country to experience region-specific things anymore – we can just watch them on television or in movies. I don’t need to travel to Las Vegas to experience the business and the lights and the casinos, not when I can watch countless television shows and movies set in the city. Even this installation itself communicates a sense of wanderlust and nostalgia that is reminiscent of how I feel on long road trips – and that’s just from looking at a picture of the installation on a computer screen.