Lillian 2 (Picturephone Self Portrait)

Lillian Feldman Schwartz C.B. Rubinstein

1979

Cibachrome

Female Pioneer

Description

Lillian Schwartz loved to experiment with new devices and identify their expressive potential. She produced this self portrait with a Picturephone, an early video-conferencing technology developed at Bell Labs in 1956. As a “resident visitor” at Bell Labs from 1969 to 2002, Schwartz produced experimental artworks in collaboration with scientists. She famously used (and misused) a wide variety of cutting-edge devices. AT&T, who ran the labs, had failed to find a market for the Picturephone and by the 1970s it was widely considered a commercial failure. Schwartz used the device to record and manipulate images in real-time, filming different scenarios with the help of dancers and musicians. This self-portrait is likely a still from a reel of similarly experimental footage, captured on 2-inch videotape in black-and-white.

Untitled Self-Portrait by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1984

Untitled Self-Portrait Lillian Feldman Schwartz1984 Print

Leo & I by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1989

Leo & I Lillian Feldman Schwartz1989 Print

www.beetles by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1996

www.beetles Lillian Feldman Schwartz1996 Print

Untitled (EDO Series) by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1989

Untitled (EDO Series) Lillian Feldman Schwartz1989 Print

Devil Series #3 by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1988

Devil Series #3 Lillian Feldman Schwartz1988 Print

Seated Nude (AP) Ken Knowlton1969 Print

EDO Series AI-105 by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1989

EDO Series AI-105 Lillian Feldman Schwartz1989 Print

MOMA Poster, 1984 by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1984

MOMA Poster, 1984 Lillian Feldman Schwartz1984 Print