Dimensions / Variable

This is a laser work shown in the exhibition Nam June Paik: Transmission held at the Rockefeller Center from 26th June to 2nd September 2002. Produced in collaboration with laser expert and creative technician Norman Ballard, it is a 33-foot-tall authentic transmission tower whose rungs flash with vivid neon lights and from the tip of which a trio of red, green and blue lasers beams. At that time, the laser beams were reflected over the surfaces of nearby buildings to create a spectacle. The laser that could make a revolutionary change to information technology was of interest to Paik from the mid-1960s, and he produced several site-specific installations using laser lights in the 2000s. In the exhibition at the Rockefeller Center, the transmission tower was flanked by sixteen classic automobiles, which was part of Paik’s 32 Cars for the 20th century: Play Mozart’s Requiem Quietly. Each car is painted silver, stripped of its engine, and filled with defunct audio-visual equipment, playing back Mozart’s Requiem in a subdued tone.