BOUNDARIES AND BEYOND: THE TERMITE TV COLLECTIVE.

Termite ... art moves always forward eating its own boundaries and likely as not leaves nothing in its place but the signs of eager, industrious unkempt activity.

--Manny Farber

Pennsylvania is a sprawling, forest-covered state where real estate agents warn potential buyers that the termite is the state "pet." To a homeowner the termite is something to watch for and fear. With this reputation, it is fitting to find in the heart of Philadelphia a different genus of termite, also busy in their eager activity, eating any boundaries in their path. However, these termites should only be feared by those invested in television as status quo, for this band of termites challenges the culture as they expand the aesthetics of television.

Inspired by the Manny Farber quote, the Termite TV Collective has, since 1992, created their own path through television culture, producing work that challenges their audience to address, head-on, current cultural and political issues as they unfold. But unlike Farber's statement, the Termites are accumulating an impressive body of work which, after nine years, continues to provoke thought and action from its audience.

The Termites began as a small group of MFA students at Temple University, (Mike Kuetemeyer, Jim Ospenson, and Meryl Perlson) in the Department of Radio, Television, and Film (since reorganized as the Department of Film and Media Arts). There they found a philosophical approach to film and video production that allowed them to question "industry" standards, both technical and contextual. As part of a media writing class in 1992 they were asked to propose projects for the course. Encouraged by Temple faculty member Alan Powell, the future Termites decided on using television to work out their ideas. Adapting the name from a Madison, Wisconsin based public access series, the Termite TV Collective formed and secured a weekly half-hour time slot through DUTV, a Drexel University based television channel. With a time slot and a potential audience, all they needed was a program.

From this beginning grew the weekly series, "This is Not a Test," a program now broadcast nationally on Free Speech Television. The collective devised a structure where each program is organized around a theme, yet each Termite is left to interpret that theme in any way he or she sees fit. The opportunity of a weekly program affords producers immediate reaction to issues of importance for both themselves and their audience. Perlson explains the freedom of experimentation offered to the early Termites: "Termite work, like television, was made to be forgotten. We were given this wonderful opportunity to experiment with the medium." [1]

Program #1, "Rizzo's Brain," aired in spring of 1992. "Rizzo's Brain" took a posthumous look at the legacy of former Police Chief and Mayor Frank Rizzo who, for decades, was a controversial presence in Philadelphia politics. With its opening image of a television being smashed by a pickax, viewers realized this was not a conventional news program. Mixing reenactment with appropriated television footage the program careens through the Philadelphia landscape with the subtlety of an itchy finger on a television remote. "Rizzo's Brain" juxtaposes such diverse pieces as a dancing bunny, footage from a Mummer's parade accompanied by a textual analysis of then current Gulf War atrocities, weaving these images with a video portrait of potholes, all held together by Rizzo's own commentary. Rizzo's outrageous statements, reenacted during the beginning of the program, lead the viewer to think that these comments may have been ironically created in the spirit of Rizzo philosophy. At the end, the viewer is treated to an actual Rizzo news interview concerning the MOVE bombing of the late 1970s. As the interview unfolds the viewer realizes, with increasing horror, that all the previous commentary could be directly attributed to Rizzo. This first program was but a promise of more disruptive things to come.

The Termites have always been a small, tight-knit band. All collective members, save one, share the common history of being Temple MFA students. From its first formation with three initial members, to a high point of seven members, including Karen Lefkovitz and Michael O'Reilly, the current Termite TV Collective boasts only one original member, Kuetemeyer. Joined by Dorothea Braemer, Carl Lee and Anula Shetty these four artist-activists continue the philosophy and work begun over eight years ago. Kuetemeyer is quick to point out that while the early shows focused on breaking into the accepted television landscape, new members brought with them a more poetic and contemplative style, expanding the cultural, political and aesthetic perspectives of the programs.

Like any collective, issues of art and administration must be addressed. With their longevity and success, the administrative side often seems to overshadow the art. To tackle this issue, the four members divide the administrative work according to their individual strengths. Shetty addresses the process by explaining that the Termites employ a decentralized decision-making strategy in an "attempt to avoid ego. It's a process that we're still working through." Kuetemeyer explains that this decentralized approach allows members to contribute to a whole while their individual contribution to a show remains theirs. Members also rotate the role of producer, curating individually arranged programming for distribution outlets. Aware of the difficulty such a structure can bring they all agree that the process is more important than the product. Their process has paid off in the form of community support, both locally and nationally.

Successful grant writers, they have secured local, regional, state and national funding for their work but the most consistent support comes directly from the Philadelphia community. Besides past grants from the Philadelphia Foundation, the Bread and Roses Community Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association, the Termites have also enjoyed fiscal support from Scribe Video Center, a local organization seeking to empower Philadelphia citizens through video production training and the Prince Music Theater, a screening venue offering Philadelphia the latest in independent film and video production. Even the local public television powerhouse, WHYY, has offered the Termites broadcast slots and free online editing sessions. With this amount of support it is no surprise that the Termites have always thought big--devising new and exciting ways to connect with their community while articulating their aesthetic visions. The "Living Documentary" series illustr ates this notion clearly. One of the most interesting and popular ideas of the series is the "Five Minute Life Story" project.

Braemer describes one long night of editing where the idea of a cross-country video excursion was first formulated. "We had this fantasy of driving a bus, creating work as we went. Everyone loved the romance of this fantasy." Attending the National Alliance of Media Arts and Culture conference held in Pittsburgh in 1998, the Termites pitched the idea and enthusiastic media arts groups from across the country signed on to host the vagabond video activists. The idea was to produce a show "on the road" with concepts being generated out of those experiences. Local hosts helped connect the Termites on various stops but any event offered material for their vision. Inspired by a hitchhiker they picked up in Sitka, Alaska the "Five Minute Life Story" was born. Perfecting the approach by the fourth episode, the bus reached southern California only to overheat on the side of a highway. Turning the situation into an opportunity, the Termites set up a roadside tent bearing a sign that stated "Tell your life story." With trucks and family sedans whipping by in the background, travelers such as Mexico Mike were happy to share their lives with the Termites.

And so the tour continued for five months, bringing the Termites back to Philadelphia in time for the year 2000 celebrations. The material gathered on this trip will fuel many future Termite shows and the connections made with media artists, activists and educators from across the nation undoubtedly feeds Termite passion for the process. It is no surprise that Termite TV audiences continue to grow, willingly following the Termites on their constantly evolving path through the forest of media complacency. [2]

LEANN ERICKSON is an independent film- and videomaker and teaches at Temple University.

NOTES

(1.) All quotations are from conversations with the author.

(2.) To learn more about the Termite TV Collective or to purchase tapes of their programs visit www.termite.org.