Before the advent of 24-hour broadcasting in 1994 the evening closedown of New Zealand state television was signaled first by a two-minute animation called the Goodnight Kiwi, then followed by several hours of either static or a television test pattern.
These 12 videos are offered as a collection of alternative signoffs, transitions into the post-broadcast hour and/or potential place holders to fill the twilight hours between regular broadcasts. Alternately humorous, abstract and challenging, Goodnight Kiwi presents a series of direct addresses to the viewer specifically designed to be broadcast between the hours of 2-4am. Reflecting the often solitary and ritual nature of technological occupation, Goodnight Kiwi variously offers aesthetic transformation, mass media critique or moments of personal reflection arising from the effects of exhausted wakefulness.
Artists: Daniel von Sturmer, Bryce Galloway, Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Miranda Parkes, Mike Heynes, Ben Holmes, Gemma Syme, Clinton Watkins, Lydia Chai, NA Royal, Brit Bunkley, Johannes Contag.
For those interested in hiring this programme, it is best suited for screens after dark or internet streaming, where somewhere in the world it is 3am.
