A Sequence of Video-to-Video Installations Illustrating the Together/Separate Principle, with Reference to Two-Way Interactive Cable TV Systems

The author focuses on two interactive video-to-video installations from his Face-to-Face series. One is an extension of the other, and both use the same minimal equipment connected in the same way. The two video network layouts show how telecommunications provide us with various forms of access, one of which is over geographical distance. The author proposes that any telecommunications equipment can be described in simple terms as enabling us to be simultaneously together and separate on a variety of perceptual levels. The author uses the example of two-way interactive cable TV to explore the potential effect of interactive networks on the organization of space and behavior in it.