Search

Pat Naldi and Wendy Kirkup’s project SEARCH consists of silent video documenting a synchronised walk undertaken by the artists in Newcastle upon Tyne city centre in 1993, recorded on the then-brand-new 16 camera surveillance system run by Northumbria Police (Newcastle upon Tyne was the first city centre in the UK to install a Closed Circuit Television network). The resultant footage was given to the artists who edited it into twenty 10 second sequences which were then transmitted completely unannounced during the commercial breaks on Tyne Tees Television between 21st June and 4th July 1993. One of the segments appeared during the commercial break of the Wimbledon Women’s tennis final and was seen by millions of viewers. As Helen Cadwallader wrote at the time:

‘On one occasion, Search struck a freakish note of discord squeezed, as it was, between commercials for hair colourants and baby food during the advertising break of that off-peak yet hugely popular day-time viewing favourite This Morning. Less bizarre alliances were made when, as was the more common tendency, Search was scheduled at the end of the police-based drama series The Bill and alongside Crimestoppers , the Public Service Announcements detailing criminal incidents such as theft, and which often feature the same awkward, grainy, black and white video images culled from close circuit television surveillance systems. The Search episodes, then, functioned as an interventionist strategy akin to some pirate T.V. transmission in both appearance and enigmatic effect. Although, paradoxically, in order to be realised the project quite literally bought into these advertising time-slots.’ (full essay available on the Locus+ website)

Synopsis from http://www.crumbweb.org/~sarah /broadcastyourself /?page_id=15

Commissioned by Locus+