Information

1973, English. Directed by Bill Viola.

Information is an exercise in technological reflexivity, an early investigation of the material presence of the electronic medium. From a technical mistake, in which a videotape recorder tried to record itself, Viola constructed a study of electronic anarchy — a disintegrating and self-interrupting signal that perpetually reiterates itself. He writes: "Information is the manifestation of an aberrant electronic nonsignal passing through the video switcher in a normal color TV studio, and being retrieved at various points along its path. The resulting electronic perturbations affected everything else in the studio. After this error was discovered and traced back, it became possible to sit at the switcher as if it were a musical instrument and learn to 'play' this nonsignal."

Runtime

0h 30m

Post-credits

None listed

Language

English

Rated

Check local

Start now and it ends at ….