An Evening at the Ballroom: Whatever Happened to Televanilla?

This article re-introduces the submerged 1968 performance Televanilla , an improvisational theatre dance piece that deployed analogue image-processing tools to establish a dialogical system with technological media. It argues that the performance anticipated principal concepts and strategies for real-time human-machine interaction, and the "virtual" representation of participants in mediated art environments. Although the performance received reviews from renowned critics in prominent New York newspapers and magazines, it disappeared from the historical records almost entirely. The article provides a critical evaluation of the artists' conceptual and technical approaches towards the deployment of analogue media technology for creating an early example of audience participation and human-machine interaction in mediated artworks. This analysis is complemented by an evaluation of contemporary reviews of the performance to illustrate to what degree the critical reception at the time was prepared to appraise the concept of technology-based interactivity through a human-machine interface in artworks appropriately.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Wolfgang Muench

Conference

Publication date: August 2019

Publication date (Print): August 2019

Pages: 258-267

Affiliations

[0001]LASALLE College of the Arts

1 NcNally Street, 187940 Singapore

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/RESOUND19.39

SO-VID: 68fd9f6e-90c8-4dfe-b2bd-ff3fd0d576b7

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: RE:SOUND 2019 – 8th International Conference on Media Art, Science, and Technology

Conference acronym: RE:SOUND 2019

Conference number: 8

Conference location: Aalborg, Denmark

Conference date: August 20-23, 2019

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Media Art, Science, and Technology

History

Product

1477-9358 BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/RESOUND19.39

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

REFERENCES

J. Anderson 1968 Televanilla: Martinique Theatre April 22 1968 Dance Magazine (June) 42 6 87 88
S. Boutourline 1968 Televanilla Press Release The Circle in the Square Papers, *T-Mss 2005005 Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Archives & Manuscripts
S. Buirge 2012 Une Vie dans l’Espace de la Danse l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Le Bois d’Orion
S. Buirge 2016 Correspondance with Author (2013-2016)
W. Chamberlain 2014 Correspondance with Author
S. Comer 2012 Propaganda for the Politics of Joy and Disorder Vertigo Winter 2012 31
R. Connor 1970 Vison&Television Waltham, Mass Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University
S. Dinkla 1994 The History of the Interface in Interactive Art ISEA International Society for Electronic Art Helsinki, Finland ISEA International Society for Electronic Art
EAI Archive 2014 Variations V: Merce Cunningham Electronic Arts Intermix Archives Online 14 08 2014
D. Jowitt 1968 Message from Susan The Village Voice May 2 29
J. Kozol 1988 Rachel and her Children: Homeless Families in America New York Crown Publishers / Random House Inc
M. W. Krueger 1977 Responsive Environments Proceedings of the June 13-16, 1977, National Computer Conference Dallas, Texas ACM
M. W. Krueger 1983 Artificial Reality Reading Addison-Wesley
K. Kwastek 2013 Aesthetics of Interaction in Digital Art Cambridge, Mass MIT Press
T. Mann 2005 The Circle in the Square Papers. Billy Rose Theatre Division 26 08 2016 New York The Circle in the Square Papers, *T-Mss 2005-005. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Archives & Manuscripts
J. S. Margolies 1969 TV - The Next Medium Art in America 57 5 September October 48 55
J. Maskey 1968 ‘Televanilla’ Dance Offers Free Daisies The New York Times (April 23) New York 1968
C. Salter 2010 Entangled: Technology and the Transformation of Performance Cambridge, Mass MIT Press
E. Siegel 1970 Radical Software 1 1 19
E. Siegel 1991 Interview by Katharina Gsöllpointner: December 1991 Vasulka Archive 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Artists6/Siegel,Eric/Interview.pdf
E. Siegel 1992 Interview by Woody Vasulka: January 1992 (Draft) Vasulka Archive 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/RightsIntrvwInstitMediaPolicies/IntrvwInstitKaldron/74/Siegel.pdf
E. Siegel 1992 Interview by Woody Vasulka: January 1992 Vasulka Archive 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/RightsIntrvwInstitMediaPolicies/IntrvwInstitKaldron/75/Siegel,Eric.pdf
M. B. Siegel 1968 Televanilla: Theatre in Two Flavors New York Magazine (June 10) 1 10 57 58
M. B. Siegel 1972 At the Vanishing Point: A Critic Looks at Dance New York, US Saturday Review Press, E. P. Dutton
Y. Spielmann 2014 Analog to Digital: Artists Using Technology K. HighS. Miller-HockingM. Jimenez The Emergence of Video Processing Tools: Television Becoming Unglued Chicago, USA Intellect, The University of Chicago Press 499 527
S. Watson 2011 Tube Boobs Art Forum Summer 2011 121
H. Wise 1969 TV as a Creative Medium: Exhibition Brochure, Howard Wise Gallery New York New York Electronic Arts Intermix Archives Online 22 08 2014 http://www.eai.org/user_files/supporting_documents/tvasacreativemedium_exhibitionbrochure.pdf
J. Yalkut 1970 Interview with Eric Siegel Radical Software 1 2 21
J. Yalkut 1984 Eric Siegel: The Electronic Video Synthesizer J. Yalkut Electronic Zen: The Alternative Video Generation Vasulka Archive 206 212 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Artists10/Yalkut,Jud/ElectronicZen.pdf
J. Yalkut 1984 Televanilla: Susan Buirge and Serge Boutourline: The Human Use of Television. Interview conducted in 1968 J. Yalkut Electronic Zen: The Alternative Video Generation Vasulka Archive 89 102 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Artists10/Yalkut,Jud/ElectronicZen.pdf

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] J. Anderson 1968 Televanilla: Martinique Theatre April 22 1968 Dance Magazine (June) 42 6 87 88

[2] S. Boutourline 1968 Televanilla Press Release The Circle in the Square Papers, *T-Mss 2005005 Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Archives & Manuscripts

[3] S. Buirge 2012 Une Vie dans l’Espace de la Danse l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Le Bois d’Orion

[4] S. Buirge 2016 Correspondance with Author (2013-2016)

[5] W. Chamberlain 2014 Correspondance with Author

[6] S. Comer 2012 Propaganda for the Politics of Joy and Disorder Vertigo Winter 2012 31

[7] R. Connor 1970 Vison&Television Waltham, Mass Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

[8] S. Dinkla 1994 The History of the Interface in Interactive Art ISEA International Society for Electronic Art Helsinki, Finland ISEA International Society for Electronic Art

[9] EAI Archive 2014 Variations V: Merce Cunningham Electronic Arts Intermix Archives Online 14 08 2014

[10] D. Jowitt 1968 Message from Susan The Village Voice May 2 29

[11] J. Kozol 1988 Rachel and her Children: Homeless Families in America New York Crown Publishers / Random House Inc

[12] M. W. Krueger 1977 Responsive Environments Proceedings of the June 13-16, 1977, National Computer Conference Dallas, Texas ACM

[13] M. W. Krueger 1983 Artificial Reality Reading Addison-Wesley

[14] K. Kwastek 2013 Aesthetics of Interaction in Digital Art Cambridge, Mass MIT Press

[15] T. Mann 2005 The Circle in the Square Papers. Billy Rose Theatre Division 26 08 2016 New York The Circle in the Square Papers, *T-Mss 2005-005. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Archives & Manuscripts

[16] J. S. Margolies 1969 TV - The Next Medium Art in America 57 5 September October 48 55

[17] J. Maskey 1968 ‘Televanilla’ Dance Offers Free Daisies The New York Times (April 23) New York 1968

[18] C. Salter 2010 Entangled: Technology and the Transformation of Performance Cambridge, Mass MIT Press

[19] E. Siegel 1970 Radical Software 1 1 19

[20] E. Siegel 1991 Interview by Katharina Gsöllpointner: December 1991 Vasulka Archive 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Artists6/Siegel,Eric/Interview.pdf

[21] E. Siegel 1992 Interview by Woody Vasulka: January 1992 (Draft) Vasulka Archive 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/RightsIntrvwInstitMediaPolicies/IntrvwInstitKaldron/74/Siegel.pdf

[22] E. Siegel 1992 Interview by Woody Vasulka: January 1992 Vasulka Archive 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/RightsIntrvwInstitMediaPolicies/IntrvwInstitKaldron/75/Siegel,Eric.pdf

[23] M. B. Siegel 1968 Televanilla: Theatre in Two Flavors New York Magazine (June 10) 1 10 57 58

[24] M. B. Siegel 1972 At the Vanishing Point: A Critic Looks at Dance New York, US Saturday Review Press, E. P. Dutton

[25] Y. Spielmann 2014 Analog to Digital: Artists Using Technology K. HighS. Miller-HockingM. Jimenez The Emergence of Video Processing Tools: Television Becoming Unglued Chicago, USA Intellect, The University of Chicago Press 499 527

[26] S. Watson 2011 Tube Boobs Art Forum Summer 2011 121

[27] H. Wise 1969 TV as a Creative Medium: Exhibition Brochure, Howard Wise Gallery New York New York Electronic Arts Intermix Archives Online 22 08 2014 http://www.eai.org/user_files/supporting_documents/tvasacreativemedium_exhibitionbrochure.pdf

[28] J. Yalkut 1970 Interview with Eric Siegel Radical Software 1 2 21

[29] J. Yalkut 1984 Eric Siegel: The Electronic Video Synthesizer J. Yalkut Electronic Zen: The Alternative Video Generation Vasulka Archive 206 212 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Artists10/Yalkut,Jud/ElectronicZen.pdf

[30] J. Yalkut 1984 Televanilla: Susan Buirge and Serge Boutourline: The Human Use of Television. Interview conducted in 1968 J. Yalkut Electronic Zen: The Alternative Video Generation Vasulka Archive 89 102 12 03 2014 http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Artists10/Yalkut,Jud/ElectronicZen.pdf

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