The Crosstalk Video Presentations series was launched in 2008 within the framework of the crosstalk video art festival, Budapest.

Hungarian and international video and media artists are invited for this discussion program comprised of a series of single-evening sessions. The goal of the events is, firstly, to present artists who work in contemporary Hungarian media art together with representatives of the international scene, and, secondly, to introduce and support video art as such. The series has had over 20 invited guests so far.

Invited guests for next session: Judit Kopper and András Sólyom

Date: 10 March 2010, Wednesday, 7 PM

The series entitled Videovilág (Video World) was launched by Hungarian Television (MTV) at the dawn of the regime-change and aired monthly with late night shows. The program was considered a unique phenomenon both in Eastern and Western Europe, as the popularisation of video twenty years ago signified more than the mere emergence of new motion picture technology. In the volatile tension of the political climate of those times, the possibilities presented by private – uncontrollable – handheld cameras paralysed censorship. Everyone was documenting the protests and their dispersals, the speeches, the mass assemblies and television programs. Home archives were expanding, tapes were traded and swapped, copied and illegally distributed. Not only political videos were popular; home-copying of hard-to-find art films, as well as porno and horror films, made for lucrative business for those with two or three VHS players which could be connected up.

In addition to independent documentary film makers, video artists also made their appearance on the Hungarian scene by the end of the 80s. These artists replaced the brush with a camera and were curious to try this new tool which was easy to handle and made shooting much simpler. In the 80s, video art made a strong debut on the international scene. European video festivals – Osnabrück, Hága, Berlin – invited experimental artists as well as famous and prestigious theoreticians and presented their video works along with conferences organised during these days-long events. In addition to traditional panel paintings and sculptures, the works of the eminent representatives of video art were greeted with equal – or even heightened – enthusiasm by the curators of the great international events of visual arts, such as the Venice Biennial and the Documenta in Kassel. And, of course, such “review of troops” in the fine arts world would have been inconceivable without the great star – the Pope – of video art, Nam June Paik.

It was also at this time that computers were becoming popular. Hungarian computer graphics artists, computer musicians and animators quickly, albeit not immediately, made it to the international forefront. As of 1985, an international review of the world’s computer artists has been held every year in Linz, where the exploration of the interaction of science and art with the invitation and participation of renowned theoreticians continues even today. It is also here that the Prix Ars Electronica prize is awarded yearly to the best artist in each of the continuously expanding categories.

Soon – in the early 90s – the Hungarian audience could also become familiar with the latest developments in video and computer art thanks to C3 at the exhibitions organised at Műcsarnokban / Kunsthalle Budapest, where the interfaces of art, technology, science and even politics were analysed with the help of international presenters.

It was this political, artistic, technological and intellectual explosion that set the scene for Videovilág (Video World) and later the program entitled Médiamix (Media Mix), which attempted to follow and communicate developments and results from both the home and international fronts. In addition to relaying information, it also often took on a creative function, whereby artists were given an opportunity to use the show to assist them in bringing to life new works.

Judit Kopper editor-producer and András Sólyom director-DP are behind both television series.The Crosstalk Video Presentations series was launched in 2008 within the framework of the crosstalk video art festival, Budapest.

Hungarian and international video and media artists are invited for this discussion program comprised of a series of single-evening sessions. The goal of the events is, firstly, to present artists who work in contemporary Hungarian media art together with representatives of the international scene, and, secondly, to introduce and support video art as such. The series has had over 20 invited guests so far.

Invited guests for next session: Judit Kopper and András Sólyom

Date: 10 March 2010, Wednesday, 7 PM

The series entitled Videovilág (Video World) was launched by Hungarian Television (MTV) at the dawn of the regime-change and aired monthly with late night shows. The program was considered a unique phenomenon both in Eastern and Western Europe, as the popularisation of video twenty years ago signified more than the mere emergence of new motion picture technology. In the volatile tension of the political climate of those times, the possibilities presented by private – uncontrollable – handheld cameras paralysed censorship. Everyone was documenting the protests and their dispersals, the speeches, the mass assemblies and television programs. Home archives were expanding, tapes were traded and swapped, copied and illegally distributed. Not only political videos were popular; home-copying of hard-to-find art films, as well as porno and horror films, made for lucrative business for those with two or three VHS players which could be connected up.

In addition to independent documentary film makers, video artists also made their appearance on the Hungarian scene by the end of the 80s. These artists replaced the brush with a camera and were curious to try this new tool which was easy to handle and made shooting much simpler. In the 80s, video art made a strong debut on the international scene. European video festivals – Osnabrück, Hága, Berlin – invited experimental artists as well as famous and prestigious theoreticians and presented their video works along with conferences organised during these days-long events. In addition to traditional panel paintings and sculptures, the works of the eminent representatives of video art were greeted with equal – or even heightened – enthusiasm by the curators of the great international events of visual arts, such as the Venice Biennial and the Documenta in Kassel. And, of course, such “review of troops” in the fine arts world would have been inconceivable without the great star – the Pope – of video art, Nam June Paik.

It was also at this time that computers were becoming popular. Hungarian computer graphics artists, computer musicians and animators quickly, albeit not immediately, made it to the international forefront. As of 1985, an international review of the world’s computer artists has been held every year in Linz, where the exploration of the interaction of science and art with the invitation and participation of renowned theoreticians continues even today. It is also here that the Prix Ars Electronica prize is awarded yearly to the best artist in each of the continuously expanding categories.

Soon – in the early 90s – the Hungarian audience could also become familiar with the latest developments in video and computer art thanks to C3 at the exhibitions organised at Műcsarnokban / Kunsthalle Budapest, where the interfaces of art, technology, science and even politics were analysed with the help of international presenters.

It was this political, artistic, technological and intellectual explosion that set the scene for Videovilág (Video World) and later the program entitled Médiamix (Media Mix), which attempted to follow and communicate developments and results from both the home and international fronts. In addition to relaying information, it also often took on a creative function, whereby artists were given an opportunity to use the show to assist them in bringing to life new works.

Judit Kopper editor-producer and András Sólyom director-DP are behind both television series.