Schubert
Date/ 2001
Artist(Credit Line)/ Nam June Paik
Classification/ Sculpture
Dimensions / 183×108×61cm
Medium / 9 vacuum-tube radios, 3 LCD monitors, gramophone speaker, 1-channel video, color, silent
This is a representation of the Austrian composer Franz Schubert constructed with nine old vacuum-tube radios in different shapes. The robot wears a red cone hat which is in fact a gramophone’s speaker. The visual elements of the radio parts, i.e., horizontal and vertical lines of speakers, circular dials, frequency numbers, and attached clocks, all contribute to the overall composition of the sculpture. Three of the radios have small monitors inserted inside, showing the same video in three different ways. The first monitor is placed in a normal position, the second one upside down, and the third one behind the speaker. The videos are about Charlotte Moorman performing with Paik as a human cello, their performances in Guadalcanal, Paik’s Robot Opera on the street, and his manipulation of images with experimental televisions.
Medium / 9 vacuum-tube radios, 3 LCD monitors, gramophone speaker, 1-channel video, color, silent
This is a representation of the Austrian composer Franz Schubert constructed with nine old vacuum-tube radios in different shapes. The robot wears a red cone hat which is in fact a gramophone’s speaker. The visual elements of the radio parts, i.e., horizontal and vertical lines of speakers, circular dials, frequency numbers, and attached clocks, all contribute to the overall composition of the sculpture. Three of the radios have small monitors inserted inside, showing the same video in three different ways. The first monitor is placed in a normal position, the second one upside down, and the third one behind the speaker. The videos are about Charlotte Moorman performing with Paik as a human cello, their performances in Guadalcanal, Paik’s Robot Opera on the street, and his manipulation of images with experimental televisions.
