Electronic Opera no 1 (1969)

Nam June Paiks Electronic Opera no 1 first aired in 1969 as part of The Medium is the Medium a special artist transmission commissioned by WGBHBoston featuring experimental segments by Paik and artists Allan Kaprow Otto Piene James Seawright Thomas Tadlock and Aldo Tambellini Set to classical music and featuring hippies a dancing model and national political figures Paiks fiveminute contribution is a form of what he called participation television Here he instructs you his audience to open or close your eyes while the hallucinatory images swirl and twist into frame The original premiere marked Paiks first foray into television broadcast and remains an early and ironic example of his ambition to turn inherently passive viewers into active and integral participants