The Cable Project
An experiment in access to television, organized in Toronto in 2004–05.
The Cable Project gave away Rogers cable television subscriptions to eight Toronto media artists over the winter of 2004–2005.
I saw regular television as a media library that media artists should have access to. Since cable TV was regarded as either an expensive luxury or derided as too common, the idea was to make it easy and free.
There was no required outcome. The artists did not have to make a work, write a report, or justify the gift. They simply had access to a new stream of material—and the chance to see what might happen.
How the artists were selected
The final group was assembled through a mix of invitations, applications, recommendations, and instinct.
We don't ask that question regarding libraries, we just want them there for people to be able to do basic research on whatever interests them.
— Timothy ComeauThe committee
Comeau struck a “cable committee” to help decide which artists should receive cable television. It consisted of:
Documentation
The project’s documentation includes bills in the mail, conversations recorded at home, a newspaper article, and correspondence.