Nam June Paik
Nam June Paik was one of the first video artists. The two works above focus on our human relation to the television. With the first, Paik uses magnets to make organic shapes out of the televisions’ characteristics. He uses the “ugly” television to make something rather beautiful. The television, something society tends to view as hard and cold (though we enjoy it to the limits), is suddenly made soft and fluid. In the second piece, TV Buddha, Paik reflects on how we “zone out” while watching television. Though made before reality television, this piece is interesting to reflect on given our present state. It’s ourselves, watching ourselves, in an endless loop. To see more of Paik’s work, click here.