LAB HD
Encyclopedia
LAB HD was a three-year experiment by Voom HD Networks. It is the only channel in history devoted to video art and experimental film as a continuous flow of ambient television. While it is no longer broadcasting, the channel persists as Voom HD Lab, an outreach effort on the part of its parent company, and it continues to commission pieces from artists and filmmakers.
Voom launched as a DBS (direct broadcast satellite) service in the United States in October 2003. The service offered 21 channels of high-definition video focused on niche audiences. Most of the channels were conventional offerings, but one slot was reserved for an experimental channel called MOOV HD
. The channel was produced by Concrete Pictures, a design and production house in Philadelphia founded by Jeff Boortz. The intent was to produce video art for public consumption. The branding of the channel was elegant, but the content was of uneven quality, and it was derided as “the screensaver
channel.”
Voom assigned Ali Hossaini
to serve as executive producer of the channel. He began revamping the programming with high profile productions, notably a series of “video portraits” directed by Robert Wilson and produced by Noah Khoshbin. New strands of programming were introduced, such as Tank TV and Micro TV. The former featured public aquariums and the latter photomicroscopy in high-definition. Concrete Pictures produced a program called Space, which stitched together footage from NASA into ambient video.
Efforts to transform the channel culminated on January 1, 2004, when it was relaunched as LAB HD, with the tagline, Experiments in High Definition. Hossaini hired filmmaker Lili Chin to manage a new Outreach Program that would put high-definition gear, including cameras and a post-production facility, into the hands of selected artists. Chin succeeded in attracted a range of talent from the orbit of Anthology Film Archives. LAB HD has deep connections to Anthology Film Archives, where Chin curates film programs and Hossaini serves on the Board of Advisors.
During 2005 LAB HD productions thrived. Director Robert Wilson
produced avant-garde video pieces with Brad Pitt
, Winona Ryder
, Jeanne Moreau
, among others.http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/hd_still_life_artist_wilson_1227/ Hossaini also collaborated with Sandra Antelo-Suarez of Trans Gallery on her project, Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30, a rock and roll puppet show conceived by Dan Graham. A video version of the show was directed by Tony Oursler
for the 2006 Whitney Biennial. The Museum of the Moving Image put LAB HD on permanent exhibit as well.
Unfortunately LAB HD did not meet the criteria to survive as a commercial channel. It had been conceived as an ambient channel, and, in his notes, Hossaini refers to Jerry Mander
’s book Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television
as a model for the channel. The channel was a continuous flow of non-narrative images and sounds, mostly music. It was meant to provoke reflection not distraction. This presented a weak value proposition from a marketing standpoint, and, on January 1, 2006, it was replaced by another innovative format, a video gaming channel that has garnered considerably more attention (outside the art world).
Voom HD Networks decided to keep the Outreach Program under the name Voom HD Lab, with Ali Hossaini as executive producer and Lili Chin as associate producer. Voom HD Lab has supported the work of numerous artists and filmmakers, many of whom had never worked in high-definition video. LAB productions have appeared in numerous museums, film festivals and galleries.
2005
2004
Voom launched as a DBS (direct broadcast satellite) service in the United States in October 2003. The service offered 21 channels of high-definition video focused on niche audiences. Most of the channels were conventional offerings, but one slot was reserved for an experimental channel called MOOV HD
Moov HD
MOOV HD was an ambient HDTV channel launched by Voom HD Networks in November, 2003. It was available on the Voom DBS service. Most of the Voom channels were conventional offerings, but one slot was reserved for an experimental channel called MOOV HD. The channel was produced by , a design and...
. The channel was produced by Concrete Pictures, a design and production house in Philadelphia founded by Jeff Boortz. The intent was to produce video art for public consumption. The branding of the channel was elegant, but the content was of uneven quality, and it was derided as “the screensaver
Screensaver
A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
channel.”
Voom assigned Ali Hossaini
Ali Hossaini
Ali Hossaini is an American artist, philosopher and media executive. His work includes contributions in creative writing, political commentary, avant-garde film, photography and television, including the launch of several channels...
to serve as executive producer of the channel. He began revamping the programming with high profile productions, notably a series of “video portraits” directed by Robert Wilson and produced by Noah Khoshbin. New strands of programming were introduced, such as Tank TV and Micro TV. The former featured public aquariums and the latter photomicroscopy in high-definition. Concrete Pictures produced a program called Space, which stitched together footage from NASA into ambient video.
Efforts to transform the channel culminated on January 1, 2004, when it was relaunched as LAB HD, with the tagline, Experiments in High Definition. Hossaini hired filmmaker Lili Chin to manage a new Outreach Program that would put high-definition gear, including cameras and a post-production facility, into the hands of selected artists. Chin succeeded in attracted a range of talent from the orbit of Anthology Film Archives. LAB HD has deep connections to Anthology Film Archives, where Chin curates film programs and Hossaini serves on the Board of Advisors.
During 2005 LAB HD productions thrived. Director Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson (director)
Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...
produced avant-garde video pieces with Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
, Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
, among others.http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/hd_still_life_artist_wilson_1227/ Hossaini also collaborated with Sandra Antelo-Suarez of Trans Gallery on her project, Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30, a rock and roll puppet show conceived by Dan Graham. A video version of the show was directed by Tony Oursler
Tony Oursler
Tony Oursler is a multimedia and installation artist.- Tapes, Installations: 1977-1989:Tony Oursler is known for his fractured-narrative handmade video tapes including The Loner, 1980 and EVOL 1984. These works involve elaborate sound tracks, painted sets, stop-action animation and optical special...
for the 2006 Whitney Biennial. The Museum of the Moving Image put LAB HD on permanent exhibit as well.
Unfortunately LAB HD did not meet the criteria to survive as a commercial channel. It had been conceived as an ambient channel, and, in his notes, Hossaini refers to Jerry Mander
Jerry Mander
Jerold Irwin "Jerry" Mander is an American activist and author, best known for his 1977 book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television...
’s book Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television is a book written by Jerry Mander which argues that there are a number of problems with the medium of television...
as a model for the channel. The channel was a continuous flow of non-narrative images and sounds, mostly music. It was meant to provoke reflection not distraction. This presented a weak value proposition from a marketing standpoint, and, on January 1, 2006, it was replaced by another innovative format, a video gaming channel that has garnered considerably more attention (outside the art world).
Voom HD Networks decided to keep the Outreach Program under the name Voom HD Lab, with Ali Hossaini as executive producer and Lili Chin as associate producer. Voom HD Lab has supported the work of numerous artists and filmmakers, many of whom had never worked in high-definition video. LAB productions have appeared in numerous museums, film festivals and galleries.
Exhibitions
- Ace Gallery Los Angeles
- Paula Cooper Galleryhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/arts/design/30wils.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
- Philips de Pury Gallery
- 2006 Whitney Biennial
- P.S. 1/MoMA
- Couvent de Cordeliers (Paris)
- 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
- Anthology Film Archives
- Alona Kagan Gallery
- Monkey Town
Filmography
2006- , HDTV, experimental feature, director: Ali Hossaini
- Video Portrait: Princess CarolineCaroline, Princess of HanoverCaroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco , formally styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover , has been heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.She is the wife of...
of Monaco, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: * Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Queen Farah Diba, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: Prince Alexis Schleswig-Holstein, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: Gao Xingjian, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Rite of the Black Sun, director: Bradley Eros, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- The Aquarium, director: Pavel Wojtasik, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- The Landfill, director: Pavel Wojtasik, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Sahara Mohave, director: Leslie Thornton, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Portrait of Shanghai, director: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short
- Sorry, director: Gail Vachon, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Meredith Salient Field, director: Theo Angell, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Spectropia (episode), director: Toni Dove, HDTV, experimental short
- 25 Letters (3 episodes), director: Grahame Weinbren, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- The Tension Building, director: Erika Beckman, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV,
- The Mythmakers, directors: Sabine Gruffat & Ben Russell, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short
- Poem, director: Mary Lucier, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Light Mood Disorder, director: Jennifer Reeves, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- The Bridge, director: Fred Taylor, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Urban Sonata, director: Jud Yalkut, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short
- Stiff, director: Jenny Reeder, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Carrara Landscape, director: Angie Eng, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- The Shadow Lords, director: Jose Figeroa, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Light and Dark (VQ002), director: Benton-C Bainbridge, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
- Digital Buddha (VQ003), director: Benton-C Bainbridge/Jin Hi KimJin Hi KimKim Jin-Hi is a geomungo player and composer.She is known for introducing the geomungo to the wider world through her contemporary chamber and orchestral compositions and large-scale multimedia pieces, as well as her extensive work in avant-garde and cross-cultural free...
, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
2005
- Video Portrait: Isabella RosselliniIsabella RosselliniIsabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Sean PennSean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Robin Wright Penn, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: J T Leroy, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: William Pope.LWilliam Pope.LWilliam Pope.L is an American visual artist best known for his work in performance art, and interventionist public art. However, he has also produced art in painting, photography and theater...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV, - Video Portrait: Gabriella Orenstein, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: Lucinda ChildsLucinda ChildsLucinda Childs is an American postmodern dancer/choreographer. Her compositions are known for their minimalistic movements yet complex transitions. Childs is most famous for being able to turn the slightest movements into an intricate choreographic masterpiece...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
2004
- , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: Robert Downey, Jr., director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: Jeanne Moreau, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV
- Video Portrait: Isabelle HuppertIsabelle HuppertIsabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert is a French actress who has appeared in over 90 film and television productions since 1971. She has had 14 films in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Best Actress Award twice, for Violette Nozière and La pianiste . She is also the most...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Juliette BinocheJuliette BinocheJuliette Binoche is a French actress, artist and dancer. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films, been recipient of numerous international accolades, is a published author and has appeared on stage across the world. Coming from an artistic background, she began taking acting lessons during...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Zhang HuanZhang HuanZhang Huan is a Chinese artist based in Shanghai and New York. He made his BA at the He Nan University in Kai Feng and his MA at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Steve BuscemiSteve BuscemiSteven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV - Video Portrait: Mikhail BaryshnikovMikhail BaryshnikovMikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV