October 7, 8, and 9
The Interference Archive, in conjunction with the Videofreex, Jon Nealon and Jenny Raskin, are presenting a rare opportunity to engage with the seminal video collective.
A part of the We Are What We Archive exhibition, which highlights artworks and artists contained in the Interference Archive collection, WHAT’S THAT FOR? is a three-day event of screenings and discussions designed to give people an opportunity to learn about and connect with the diverse activities of the Videofreex, a media start-up since 1969.
Friday, October 7, 7pm
A screening of the feature documentary: Here Come the Videofreex
with directors Jon Nealon and Jenny Raskin, plus Videofreex Skip Blumberg
“Here Come the Videofreex!” tells the story of the most radical video collective of the 1960’s and 70’s. It is the quirky tale of ten people’s optimism and creativity, and their vision of what television could have become at a time when the three big networks ruled the TV airwaves.
Saturday, October 8, 7pm
“Videofreex Pirate TV Show – 21st Century Re-edit” (60 minutes, 1969-1978 & 2013) plus Videofreex Skip Blumberg and Davidson Gigliotti
This fast-paced variety show evokes the 1970s with 40 documentary, experimental and performance shorts and excerpts from 1,200 videotapes in the Videofreex Archive at Video Data Bank in Chicago, produced by the infamous early video production group. The selection includes audience crowd-pleasers and important works from their 9 years of production, many of which are in the Interference Archive collection. Rated R: language, drugs, nudity, violence, radical politics, alternate culture, art video.
Sunday, October 9, 12pm
Join Interference Archive volunteer Chris Bravo, Videofreex Skip Blumberg, and other videotape aficionados for an informal tour of Interference Archive and a discussion about the ongoing effort to preserve the archive of Videofreex material at the School of the Art Institute’s Video Data Bank. This is a unique opportunity to have a discussion about preserving early video works, and the challenges of ensuring access to these videos to future culture workers and activists.
