LAB HD is a three-year experiment by

Voom HD Networks Voom HD Networks is a suite of 25 original high-definition television channels owned by AMC Networks. The channels were produced in Crystal Clear Hi-Definition with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and were the largest suite of HD channels in t ...

. It is the only channel in history devoted to video art and experimental film as a continuous flow of ambient television. While it is no longer broadcasting, the channel persists as Voom HD Lab, an outreach effort on the part of its parent company, and it continues to commission pieces from artists and filmmakers. Voom launched as a DBS (direct broadcast satellite) service in the United States in October 2003. The service offered 21 channels of high-definition video focused on niche audiences. Most of the channels were conventional offerings, but one slot was reserved for an experimental channel called

MOOV HD Moov (stylized as MOOV) is a subscription-based music, podcast and video streaming service that combines lossless audio and high-definition music videos with exclusive content and special features on music. Moov was launched in 2006 by Hong Kong pu ...

. The channel was produced by Concrete Pictures, a design and production house in Philadelphia founded by Jeff Boortz. The intent was to produce video art for public consumption. The branding of the channel was elegant, but the content was of uneven quality, and it was derided as "the

screensaver A screensaver (or screen saver) is a computer program that blanks the display screen or fills it with moving images or patterns when the computer has been idle for a designated time. The original purpose of screensavers was to prevent phosphor ...

channel." Voom assigned

Ali Hossaini Ali Hossaini (b. West Virginia, 1962) is an American artist, philosopher, theatrical producer, television producer, and businessperson. In 2010, '' The New York Times'' described him as a "biochemist turned philosopher turned television producer ...

to serve as executive producer of the channel. He began revamping the programming with high-profile productions, notably a series of "video portraits" directed by Robert Wilson and produced by Noah Khoshbin. New strands of programming were introduced, such as Tank TV and Micro TV. The former featured public aquariums and the latter photomicroscopy in high-definition. Concrete Pictures produced a program called Space, which stitched together footage from NASA into ambient video. Efforts to transform the channel culminated on January 1, 2004, when it was relaunched as LAB HD, with the tagline, Experiments in High Definition. Hossaini hired filmmaker Lili Chin to manage a new Outreach Program that would put high-definition gear, including cameras and a post-production facility, into the hands of selected artists. Chin succeeded in attracted a range of talent from the orbit of Anthology Film Archives. LAB HD has deep connections to

Anthology Film Archives Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema.Ali Hossaini Ali Hossaini (b. West Virginia, 1962) is an American artist, philosopher, theatrical producer, television producer, and businessperson. In 2010, '' The New York Times'' described him as a "biochemist turned philosopher turned television producer ...

serves on the board of advisors. During 2005 LAB HD productions thrived. Director Robert Wilson produced avant-garde video pieces with

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. M ...

, among others. Hossaini also collaborated with Sandra Antelo-Suarez of Trans Gallery on her project, ''Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30'', a rock and roll puppet show conceived by Dan Graham. Originally staged with live puppets at Miamia Basel, a video version of the show was directed by

Tony Oursler Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

for the 2006 Whitney Biennial. The Museum of the Moving Image put LAB HD on permanent exhibit as well. Unfortunately LAB HD did not meet the criteria to survive as a commercial channel. It had been conceived as an ambient channel, and, in his notes, Hossaini refers to

Jerry Mander Jerry Irwin Mander (born May 1, 1936) is an American activist and author, best known for his 1978 book, ''Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television''. In a more recent book, ''The Capitalism Papers'', Mander argues against capitalism as a ...

's book ''

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television ''Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television'' is a 1978 book by Jerry Mander, "who argues that many of the problems with television are inherent in the medium and technology itself, and thus cannot be reformed". Mander was an advertiser f ...

'' as a model for the channel. The channel was a continuous flow of non-narrative images and sounds, mostly music. It was meant to provoke reflection not distraction. This presented a weak value proposition from a marketing standpoint, and, on January 1, 2006, it was replaced by another innovative format, a video gaming channel that has garnered considerably more attention (outside the art world). Voom HD Networks decided to keep the Outreach Program under the name Voom HD Lab, with

as executive producer and Lili Chin as associate producer. Voom HD Lab has supported the work of numerous artists and filmmakers, many of whom had never worked in high-definition video. LAB productions appeared in numerous museums, film festivals and galleries.

Exhibitions

* ''Ace Gallery Los Angeles'' * ''Paula Cooper Gallery'' * ''Philips de Pury Gallery'' * ''2006 Whitney Biennial'' * ''P.S. 1/MoMA'' * ''Couvent de Cordeliers (Paris, France)'' * ''2006 Tribeca Film Festival'' * ''Anthology Film Archives'' * ''Alona Kagan Gallery'' * ''Monkey Town''

Filmography

2006 * '', HDTV, experimental feature, director: Ali Hossaini'' * ''Video Portrait: Princess Caroline of Monaco, director
Robert Wilson
executive producer:'' * ''Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Queen Farah Diba, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Prince Alexis Schleswig-Holstein, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Gao Xingjian, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Rite of the Black Sun, director:

Bradley Eros Bradley Eros (born in 1952 in Fairfield, Illinois) is an experimental film director, actor, curator, poet, and performance artist who also makes Musique concrète sound collages, music videos, photographs, live projection performances, works on pa ...

, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' *
The Aquarium
director
Pavel Wojtasik
executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''The Landfill, director: Pavel Wojtasik, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Sahara Mohave, director: Leslie Thornton, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Portrait of Shanghai, director: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short'' * ''Sorry, director: Gail Vachon, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Meredith Salient Field, director: Theo Angell, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Spectropia (episode), director: Toni Dove, HDTV, experimental short'' * ''25 Letters (3 episodes), director
Grahame Weinbren
executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''The Tension Building, director: Erika Beckman, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV,'' * ''The Mythmakers, directors: Sabine Gruffat & Ben Russell, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short'' * ''Poem, director: Mary Lucier, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Light Mood Disorder, director: Jennifer Reeves, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''The Bridge, director: Fred Taylor, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Urban Sonata, director: Jud Yalkut, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short'' * ''Stiff, director: Jenny Reeder, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Carrara Landscape, director: Angie Eng, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''The Shadow Lords, director: Jose Figeroa, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Light and Dark (VQ002), director:

Benton C Bainbridge Benton C Bainbridge (born January 22, 1966) is an American media artist known for creating single channel video, interactive artworks, immersive installations and live visual performances with custom digital, analog and optical systems of his ow ...

, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' * ''Digital Buddha (VQ003), director:

/ Jin Hi Kim, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV'' 2005 * ''Video Portrait:

Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV''http://adage.com/article/global-news/magazines-wallpaper-teams-dentsu-ombro-cinema/145907/ Wallpaper Magazine * ''Video Portrait:

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Willem Dafoe Willem James Dafoe (; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for four Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, t ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Robin Wright Penn, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

J T Leroy J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon varia ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: William Pope.L, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Gabriella Orenstein, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Lucinda Childs Lucinda Childs (born June 26, 1940) is an American postmodern dancer/choreographer and actress. Her compositions are known for their minimalistic movements yet complex transitions. Childs is most famous for being able to turn the slightest movem ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' 2004 * '', director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Robert Downey, Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Jeanne Moreau, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait: Zhang Huan, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV'' * ''Video Portrait:

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Soviet Latvian-born Russian-American dancer, choreograp ...

, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin, HDTV''

References

{{reflist Defunct television networks in the United States Television channels and stations established in 2004 2004 establishments in the United States Video art Experimental film Television channels and stations disestablished in 2005 2005 disestablishments in the United States HD-only channels