Funeral for Analog TV

The service took place at the Berkeley Art Museum Tuesday, February 17, at 7:00 PM.

Audiences joined author Bruce Sterling, technology pundit Paul Saffo, and other special guests on the UC Berkeley campus to mourn the loss of our long time acquaintance, the Analog Television Signal. Born in the 1920's in San Francisco, the signal has been an integral part of all our lives, bringing us news of the rich, the famous, the politicians, the wars, the Apollo landings, the thrills of victory, and the agonies of defeat. While Analog Television has not been a good friend to us all, it has been important to each and every one of us. Analog Television is survived by its wife Digital Television, and its second cousin Internet Television.

Visitors brought their Analog TV for display and recycling. We stacked the first 40 in memoriam to our life long friend and the remainder were responsibly recycled. At the ceremony Paul Saffo spelled out the sordid history of the Analog TV Signal's life, the group Author & Punisher performed the funeral dirge, and author Bruce Sterling delivered the eulogy (above) just before the analog signal winked out for the last time and the frequency wasteland was invaded by pirate TV artists. It's rare that the entire nation gets a specific date on which one major medium dies and is replaced by another. This event was a scholarly and artistic reflection on the passing of one of the dominant mediums and cultural influences of the late 20th century. Presented by:

              
Video From the Service
Program
5:00 PM Build Your Own Pirate TV Transmitters - Pre-event Workshop
Workshop is Now Full! Artists from Neighborhood Public Radio will teach attendees how to build small low-wattage analog TV transmitters that can accept input from computers and VCRs. Some of the transmitters built in this workshop may be used in the Funeral event. This workshop is open to the public; space is strictly limited, and we can accept only first 15 registrants. To register, email Kris Paulsen at kris.paulsen@gmail.com. This event will take place in the BCNM Commons, 340 Moffitt Library, UC Berkeley campus (within walking distance to the museum for the main event, below).
BCNM Commons
7:00 PM Doors Open - Open to Public, Free Admission
Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA. Add your Analog TV to be recycled courtesy of the Alameda County Computer Resource Center. The first 40 TVs will be accepted and used as an integral part of the service. Somber attire encouraged. Remember to bring cash and ID for full bar courtesy of the RockStar Bartenders.
Berkeley Art Museum, Durant Lobby
7:30 PM Paul Saffo - Rememberance
Paul Saffo, Stanford Professor and media scholar, will speak about the history and future of broadcast media.Theater seats 230, overflow served by TV broadcast to lobby
Museum Theater
8:00 PM Reminiscing - Wake
Discussion, mingling, sharing stories of the departed.
Durant Lobby
8:30 PM Author & Punisher - Dirge
Sound performance by artist, Author & Punisher.
Bancroft Lobby
9:00 PM Bruce Sterling - Eulogy
Author and founder of the Dead Media Project delivers eulogy for the departed via exclusive television telecast.
Bancroft Lobby
9:30 PM End Transmission - Snowcrash
Termination of analog transmission.
Bancroft Lobby
9:40 PM Neighborhood Public Radio - Pirate TV
Video art work by artist from Neighborhood Public Radio, transmitted via now-vacated analog frequency.
Bancroft Lobby
10:00 PM Service concludes
Bancroft Lobby
12:00 AM Scattering of Ashes - Committal
Video from the event released on to the Internet for remix, re-broadcast.
Online
Contacts
Danielle Engelman
Community Development Director
The Long Now Foundation
www.longnow.org
ph. 415.561.6582 x1

Richard Rinehart
Digital Media Director & Adjunct Curator
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
bampfa.berkeley.edu
ph.510.642.5240