1979 FIRST EXCURSIONS IN TELETEXT IN NORWAY – some of the earliest surviving examples of Teletext Art in the world
History: In 1979 teletext tests started in NRK (Norwegian TV). Arild Boman leading MediaCulture university projects joined the tests with other artists, including Petter Brönn and Morten Juvet.
These projects were exploring first human contacts with the new arriving technologies like computers and video from 1961; VR with Erkki Kurenniemi & satellite art experiments in the 70s.
In 1979 the teletext media were unknown to researchers & artists exploring specific teletext visuality.
Museum of Teletext Art:
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4 MAIN TYPES OF EXCURS/I/ONS IN 1979
I FIRST STEPS INTO UNKNOWN MEDIUM
II INTO A TELETEXT VISUALITY
III A LITERARY TELETEXT?
IV DO YOU WANT TO PLAY TELETEXT MUSIC?
PROJECT RESULTS
EXCURSIONS I: First Steps in a new medium
Step 1 The minimal act:
THE POINT OF TELETEXT
Step 2 The medium:
TELETEXT – AN OPEN MEDIUM
Step 3 The teletext format:
FILL IT UP!
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EXCURSION II:
Into a teletext visuality
TELETEXT GEOMETRICAL FIGURE
Arild Boman, 1979
JEG (I), Petter Brönn, 1979
REGRESSIVE SELF-REFERENCE IN TELETEXT, Arild Boman, 1979
ODE TO THE GREEN SPRING, Morten Juvet, 1979
REGEN / Rain, Petter Brönn, 1979
SUNRISE IN THE GREEN, Morten Juvet, 1979
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EXCURSIONS III:
Into literary teletext
WORDS FOR THE DAY
A teletext essay: WHAT IS IT?
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EXCURSION IV:
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY COMPUTER MUSIC?
The following image contains a teletext version of a computer score of ECUMENE
the first Norwegian church music work 1969 also played in NRK-TV during the first
landing on the moon 1969.
It is based on the opening of the Bible: the creation.
The letters are notes, numbers are lengths (0 is pause). The colour of notes indicate the octave
of the notes: green is a basic one that you choose, and red is the octave above it. Such playing
teletext was tested in 1979.
Now you may try, too!
Nice if you send us a recording of it:
mediaculture.projects@gmail.com
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EXCURSIONS IN TELETEXT – RESULTS
The 1979 MediaCulture tests showed:
1. Potentials of teletext provisions & functions beyond mainstream media info.
The technology provided possibilities of visual and textual art work.
2. The art works included in the NRK teletext tests were the first direct national transmissions of electronic visual art into people’s homes in Norway.
3.The 1979 tests belong to the earliest documented research in teletext art.
4. The project showed possibilities of using teletext as tool/medium in research and art communication
After the NRK test period from 1979
EXCURSIONS IN TELETEXT have been transmitted by MediaCulture/Knowledge Channel
Media Art Gallery via satellite: in Norway from 1987 and in Europe via Europstep in the early 1990s.
Thanks for viewing!
MediaCulture project leader:
ARILD BOMAN
Museum of Teletext Art, MUTA:
JUHA VAN INGEN
YLE Teletext:
MATTI RÄMÖ
Reconstruction of artworks:
MAI VAN INGEN
ARTISTS
ARILD BOMAN b. 1940 Norway. Communication researcher, Univ. Of Oslo, composer, media artist. Experiments w/ sound, visual & kinetic communication in new technologies: computers, video (1961); satellites, VR, teletext (70s): Started MediaCulture network, video art teaching Norw. Art Academy (74) and in Lagos (77): Broadband democracy projects in Norway, UK and Germany from 1980; University Knowledge Channel & Media Art Gallery via satellite, early 90s. From computer works like Ecumene (1969) now into historical & present algorithms in art.
PETTER BROENN b. 1951 Oslo. Art educ. 1971-78, Poland 1984. With ”The Moose Grouup” (M.Rudjord, M.Juvet): MediaCulture works. In Galleries and collections i Norway. Nürnberg Kunsthalle, Germany since 1980. Ass. professor art/art&crafts/architecture 1985-2012.
MORTEN JUVET b. 1953 Norway, Painter and graphic artist. Art Academy 1973-78. Also works with super 8 films, MediaCulture video and teletext since 1975. Represented in the National Museum of Art and other collections, exhibitions in galleries in Norway and Denmark.