Video Dig Reloaded

Video Dig ReloadedOn a pleasant day, on a wooded island not far from Seattle, a troop of amateur geologists trudged across a tall grassy meadow with a purpose: find a lost culture which was completely devoted to television. Led by a self appointed, charismatic videophile, Dr. Chew, they unearthed the remains of a 15,000 year old treasure of artifacts, identified, tagged, and dutifully recorded details about them. C. T. Chew, an artist, conceived the expedition as an

On a pleasant day, on a wooded island not far from Seattle, a troop of amateur geologists trudged across a tall grassy meadow with a purpose: find a lost culture which was completely devoted to television. Led by a self-appointed, charismatic videophile, ÒDr. Chew,Ó they unearthed the remains of a 15,000-year old treasure of artifacts, identified, tagged, and dutifully recorded details about them. C. T. Chew, an artist, conceived the expedition as an art Òhappening.Ó Over thirty years later, his ÒVideo DigÓ is the focus of an exhibition proposed by Bill Ritchie, who was at the site. Now Bill wants to show the ÒVideo DigÓ plus many videos that vivified his years as a media arts professor. In this anthology he shares his musings, the soul of the exhibit, ÒVideo Dig Reloaded.Ó The reader is sure to find it enlightening - a must for anyone curious about northwest schools of art or, which is a more likely lesson, how video figured in the development of a few artistsÕ careers started at the UW in the 1970s.