Quality Time is a photography research installation, and facilitated conversation which was held on January 10, 2016 at Indigo Gallery, Buffalo NY. This exhibition developed after I began an image collection of television sets that had been discarded on the curbs of Buffalo and other areas in New York State. It struck me that there were a surprising number of T.V’s on the street, as it was an indicator of several things—average citizens are unaware that it is now illegal to dispose of television sets in the regular city garbage system in New York, and new products have replaced the televisions of yesteryear. Our media landscape is drastically shifting. In this moment of technogenesis made visible, we can see the ebb and flow of technology turned trash, a once revered technological innovation made worthless. We can be reminded that in times of expansion and progress, there are always elements that are disposed of and outgrown, and here we are able to see that clearly evidenced. In response, I wanted to honor and reflect on on the discarded objects and give the memory of television’s privileged objecthood a proper sendoff into the great technological graveyard beyond human interest. I gathered over a hundred images of televisions during my year of collecting, and designed a twelve page calendar for 2016 with notable dates in television’s history listed throughout, made available during the week long exhibition. The exhibition featured seventeen 12x12 inch black and white images of television portraits taken curbside, a memorial set with candles, television iconography, and carnations, and a gallery conversation which drew 25 participants ranging in age from 17 to 76. Participants were asked to fill out a survey of questions upon arriving in the space so that they would be prepared to engage with similar topics and themes. I opened conversation to the room, and guided the responders in a line of questioning around their memories involving television. Participants become impassioned while sharing and discussing their television interests, habits, and histories. At the end of the conversation, participants were invited to leave their questionnaires pinned to a screen-like square outlined on the gallery wall.
