Looking at the history of radio and television, jailbreaking recalls works of art and media activism that examined the media of the “analogue” age, and were also aimed at appropriating and breaking the hierarchical relationship between sender and receiver inherent in electronic mass communication. Jailbreak combines historical and contemporary works of video art, experimental and corporate film. By taking the new culture of computer software privilege escalation as a background metaphor, the two programs reflect on the potentials and limits of reciprocity in our information and media driven society.

The constantly shifting power relationship on the Internet between users and owners, producers and mediators, individuals and corporations functions as a thematic denominator to the films in Jailbreak #2. The programme also expresses tribute to Dutch media history by presenting Hans Richter’s early film Europa Radio for Philips as well as performative video works by Thomas Klinkowstein and General Idea, produced in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht around early 1980s.

Hans Richter, Europa Radio, (NL 1931, 9 min)
Tom Klinkowstein, Levittown/How We Communicate, ( NL 1982, 9 min)
General Idea, Test Tube, (Ca 1979, 28 min)
Oliver Laric, Versions, (DE 2009, 6:30 min)
Stuart Baker, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, (UK 2009, 4 min)
Dominic Gagnon, Rip in Pieces America, (CA 2009, 21 min)