Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)

This article considers String Games: Improvisations for Inter-City Video (Montreal–Toronto) (1974), a groundbreaking telematic artwork by the Canadian artist Vera Frenkel, in which participants in Toronto and Montreal played a remote version of cat’s cradle over Bell Canada’s early digital video con...

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Main Author: Mikhel Proulx
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision 2025-08-01
Series:VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://account.viewjournal.eu/index.php/up-j-viewjethc/article/view/363
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author Mikhel Proulx
author_facet Mikhel Proulx
author_sort Mikhel Proulx
collection DOAJ
description This article considers String Games: Improvisations for Inter-City Video (Montreal–Toronto) (1974), a groundbreaking telematic artwork by the Canadian artist Vera Frenkel, in which participants in Toronto and Montreal played a remote version of cat’s cradle over Bell Canada’s early digital video conferencing network. Situating the work within the context of Canadian telecommunications infrastructure and cultural policy, the article argues that String Games subtly subverted the technonationalist ideals embedded in Canada’s drive to unify its vast geography through networked media.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2213-0969
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series VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture
spelling doaj-art-3fcfec190868406ab25f8e3dc784d7b02025-08-20T03:40:30ZengNetherlands Institute for Sound and VisionVIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture2213-09692025-08-011427819610.18146/view.363340Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)Mikhel Proulx0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0530-3292Queen's University CanadaThis article considers String Games: Improvisations for Inter-City Video (Montreal–Toronto) (1974), a groundbreaking telematic artwork by the Canadian artist Vera Frenkel, in which participants in Toronto and Montreal played a remote version of cat’s cradle over Bell Canada’s early digital video conferencing network. Situating the work within the context of Canadian telecommunications infrastructure and cultural policy, the article argues that String Games subtly subverted the technonationalist ideals embedded in Canada’s drive to unify its vast geography through networked media.https://account.viewjournal.eu/index.php/up-j-viewjethc/article/view/363art and technologycanadian artmedia artnetwork culturetechnonationalismtelematic art
spellingShingle Mikhel Proulx
Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)
VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture
art and technology
canadian art
media art
network culture
technonationalism
telematic art
title Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)
title_full Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)
title_fullStr Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)
title_full_unstemmed Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)
title_short Technonationalism and Telematic Art in Canada: Vera Frenkel’s String Games (1974)
title_sort technonationalism and telematic art in canada vera frenkel s string games 1974
topic art and technology
canadian art
media art
network culture
technonationalism
telematic art
url https://account.viewjournal.eu/index.php/up-j-viewjethc/article/view/363
work_keys_str_mv AT mikhelproulx technonationalismandtelematicartincanadaverafrenkelsstringgames1974