Telecommunications Art

Artworks created with telecommunications technology

Minitel Works

1985/86

These early online works were created by Eduardo Kac for the Minitel network, a precursor to the Web

RC Robot

1986

Kac's first telepresence artwork, RC Robot interacted with gallery visitors and was also used as a live performer

Conversation

1987

Kac's first SSTV artwork, in which he created live palimpsestic images based on the materiality of the analog phone

Fax Works

1987-1993

Works that explored multiple aspects of the communication act, such as transmission, noise, reception, transformation, and feedback loop

Retrato Suposto/Rosto Roto

1988

Hybrid of live television and live fax exchange (with Mario Ramiro)

Three-City Link

1989

SSTV artwork in which an alternating sequence of satellite views and microscopic images of digital circuits fused into one another at the receiver's end

Ornitorrinco

1989

Kac's second telepresence robot (with Ed Bennett); Ornitorrinco participated in several shows until 1996

Impromptu

1990

International multimedia interactive event

Interfaces

1990

Improvisational SSTV interactive artwork in which the participants' real or masked faces fused into one another

Elastic Fax I

1991

Kac's first fax film

Elastic Fax II

1994

Kac's second fax film

Elastic Fax III

2005

Kac's third fax film (with Mario Ramiro)