Archival Documents   »”The Transmission”

Materials related to “Agrippa – the transmission” (Dec. 9, 1992), a multi-location simulcast of live readings and images of the scrolling text of William Gibson’s poem

Re:Agrippa (Experimental Video of Dec. 9, 1992, ‘Transmission’ of Agrippa) (1993)

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Item #D16. Experimental video Re:Agrippa by “Rosehammer & Templar” based on footage of the Dec. 9, 1992, “Transmission” of Agrippa (produced 1993).

This experimental video composition is based on the “Transmission” event on Dec. 9, 1992. It includes selected footage of the text of William Gibson’s poem in Agrippa scrolling up the screen, accompanied by a soundtrack of Penn Jillette reading from the poem; shots of publisher Kevin Begos, Jr., introducing the work; and experimental-video-like montage, sound, and titling effects added by the video’s makers. A transcription of the footage on which this video is based may underlie the so-called “hacking” of the poem and its release to the Internet on Dec. 10, 1992. (See “-Templar- Rosehammer & Pseudophred’s” introduction to the text of the poem that appeared on that date on the MindVox BBS; see also Matthew G. Kirschenbaum’s discussion of various explanations of “the hack.”)

For Windows Users (WMV9, streaming)
» Excerpt: Gibson’s poem scrolling up screen (.wmv, 20 secs.)
» Full video (.wmv, 5 min., 32Mb)
For Macintosh Users (Quicktime 7, streaming)
» Excerpt: Gibson’s poem scrolling up screen (.mov, 20 secs.)
» Full video (.mov, 5 min., 27Mb)

Note: The Windows Quicktime plug-in for IE and Firefox is flawed and may crash when streaming Quicktime 7 (H.264) content. Windows users are encouraged to view the WMV files above or download the Quicktime files prior to viewing (rather than streaming).

Letter from Kevin Begos to William Gibson (c. Oct. 1992)

Letter from Kevin Begos to William GibsonItem #D27. Letter from Kevin Begos to William Gibson (probably October 1992)

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See also press release and technical specs for “The Transmission” on December 9, 1992.

Press Release for “The Transmission” (1 December 1992)

Press release regarding the December 9, 1992, transmission of Agrippa
Item #D11. Press release from the publisher regarding the December 9, 1992, “transmission” of Agrippa.

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This press release was attached to a faxed letter of Dec. 1, 1992, from Kevin Begos to David Leslie of The Kitchen in NYC. (Excerpt from letter)

Original Hand-Drawn Technical Plan for “the Transmission” (1992)

Agrippa code
Item #D47. Original hand-drawn technical plan and specs for the December 9, 1992, “transmission” of Agrippa.

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This drawing by Marc Scarpa was the basis for his later, typed technical specs for “the Transmission” (see Item #D12)

Technical Specs for “the Transmission” (15 September 1992)

Agrippa code
Item #D12. Outline and flowchart for the December 9, 1992, “transmission” of Agrippa.

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These plans and specs were typed by Marc Scarpa based on his original hand-drawn plans (see Item #D47)

The Kitchen’s Press Release for “The Transmission” (16 October 1992)

The Kitchen Press Release
Item #D18. The Kitchen’s press release for the transmission of Agrippa.

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The Kitchen’s Advertisement for “The Transmission” (1992)

Advertisement
Item #D13. The Kitchen’s advertisement [in Village Voice] for the December 9, 1992, “transmission” of Agrippa.

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Bibliographical Information

New Yorker Notice of “The Transmission” (14 December 1992)

New Yorker notice
Item #D28. New Yorker “Goings on About Town” notice of the December 9, 1992, “transmission” of Agrippa (New Yorker, 14 Dec. 1992).

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Bibliographical Information

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