Binge in 1992

By Matteo Visini

Topic: Digital Traces

Medium: Object

Material: TV, VHS, table

Institute: Politecnico di Milano

Year: a.a. 2022-2023

The idea is to create a fairly large archive of “recorded” videotapes, cataloged in alphabetical order, each with its own handwritten label showing episode names and numbers, in chronological order. In this way, the number of hours of television series viewed in the last calendar year will be divided according to the maximum limit of three hours of classic videotapes. The structure will be a collection/composition of more than 100 VHS with a small old television showing the explanation of the project (socket needed), in a space of about 70x70 cm.

Featured image of the project Binge in 1992 Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992 Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992 Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992 Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992

Metaphor used:

My generation is one of the last who still consider VHS as part of their childhood. Record what you were interested in, fast forward through the commercials, pull back the tape once you finished, and stock them meticulously. These were all things that made the experience of watching something on tv, a kind of ritual, while now, the possibility to have an almost infinite amount of content just with some clicks many times brings the spectator to consume films and tv series in a passive way. What would it be like to get that feeling back today? How would it be to take all this intangible online content and give it back its cumbersome and uncomfortable physicality? Are we still able to actually give value to what we can do with technology, even in our spare time, or are we slowly taking it for granted?

Intended Meaning:

The purpose of this info poetry is to make the public reflect on how access to entertainment is a luxury that today we often take for granted. Thanks to the rapid evolution of this medium, it's possible to express the luck of having such a vast amount of content available at any moment, which, just a few years ago, would have required a considerable amount of effort, space, and devotion.

Source:

"TV TIME" app

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Featured image of the project Binge in 1992
Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992
Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992
Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992
Complementary image of the project Binge in 1992

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