these TV screens may actually show you something real for a change: self reflection

these old televisions, arranged in a ziggurat, are modded with reflective mirrors. when no one’s around, their channels are set to the ocean waves and australian skies, but when that curious ocean-walker is present, shirin abedinirad’s ‘revision’ — impossible to ignore — casts a legion of reflections back at them.

all images courtesy of shirin abedinirad

omnisciently placed at the mouth of the erskine river, abedinirad’s ‘revision’ is a land art project that allures the land’s wayfarers to watch something different on old televisions. no marketing? no research-approved, group-targeted content? no quick cuts or transitions or subscription offers? no. just a single, unending frame — the movements and the stillness of those choosing to stare. the bird overhead. that rainbow behind you.

‘this project invites audiences to watch a nature in a new frame,’ says abedenirad. ‘instead of watching TV news, which we do not know if it is true or not, we could break the waves that televisions create and watch reality and nature instead. this installation creates a live movie through the simple reflection of everyone and everything around it.’

revision was created out of a global collaboration — the retro TVs were supplied by geelong-based ‘emperor of reclaimed global junk,’ ian ballis of powerhouse geelong. sourcing materials is an art of its own. old televisions, particularly the ones used in ‘revision,’ are especially, surprisingly, ridiculously hard to find. even here, in new york, every pawn shop is a dead end; online is no better; meanwhile, near the lower tip of australia, at the landfall lorne sculpture biennale, abedinirad’s televisions serve the viewer, giving each curious visitor a chance to self-reflect.