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To whom it may concern: Nam June Paik’s wobbulator and playful identity

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

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  • Emile Devereaux
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>15/12/2013
<mark>Journal</mark>Leonardo Electronic Almanac
Issue number5
Volume19
Number of pages14
Pages (from-to)22-35
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This article participates in new materialist discussions by examining the practices of Nam June Paik as a negotiation between the materiality of media and an articulation of identity. Following Nam June Paik's lead, this scholarly analysis at times takes the form of a letter, intertwining personal voices with an investigation of media technologies. Reproductions of Paik's letters inform written records about his early interactive video technologies such as the Wobbulator (1972) that invite us to mix our voices with his. Paik's playful approach to identity as mediated by technology can be seen as an early precursor to social media sites such as YouTube. This Tier 1 peer-reviewed journal is a leading publication in the field of New Media Arts. This research was funded in part by the Susan B. Anthony Institute, University of Rochester, and the Experimental Television Center in Oswego, New York.