From the Images Festival Blurb:

An archival, curatorial and performance project, Daniel Barrow’s Winnipeg Babysitter reveals the hidden history of independently produced television and subversive cable access from Manitoba’s capital. Barrow presents a magic-lantern commentary, tracing the history of public access television in Manitoba, and describing the various and outrageous biographies of its performers and producers and in doing so, he provides a window (lit by the glow of an overhead projector) onto the history of a medium revealed as an important platform whose influence continues to resonate in the practices of Winnipeg artists.

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Winnipeg experienced a “golden age” of public access television, when anyone with a creative dream, concept or politic would be endowed with airtime and professional production services. When Shaw cable purchased Winnipeg’s local cable station VPW, a rumour began that Shaw had destroyed the public access archives and were systematically dismantling their public access services. Shortly thereafter, Daniel Barrow began researching, compiling and archiving a history of independently produced television that manifested itself in Winnipeg Babysitter.

Featuring Guy Maddin’s earliest recorded performances alongside Greg Klymkiw in Survival (1982-1987) as well asFearless Pig and Terrible Dog in Metal Inquisition (1986), Myles and Drue Langlois of the Royal Art Lodge in Delirious Photoplay (1999) and The Pollock & Pollock Gossip Show (1986-1989), Winnipeg Babysitter is but just the tip of Manitoba’s public access excess.

He did a 9 minute excerpt/preview at his artist talk at InterAccess on Thursday and it looks amazing and lovely and strangely informative.
- Gabby (guest) 10-19-2008 5:39 pm

As drummer for the band Steel Toast(and Solid Dirt Dancer)from Metal Inquistion,it is nice to see this era of 80's public TV is not forgotten.
Hate McAngry
- Hate McAngry (guest) 10-30-2008 9:29 pm