In this interview, he describes working with Klüver to assemble Rauschenberg's Oracle, which contained five concealed radios that operated when the piece was activated. He discusses consulting for Rauschenberg's piece for 9 Evenings, Open Score. In addition to his assistance with Rauschenberg's technically complex projects, Hodges discusses his work on several of the performances included in 9 Eve nings: Theatre and Engineering, including Deborah Hay's Solo and Öyvind Fahlström's Kisses Sweeter Than Wine. He discusses the technical issues confronted by the Bell Labs engineering team in their work on pieces or 9 Evenings, as well as more general recollections about the unique culture of Bell Laboratories that allowed for wide ranging collaborations between artists and engineers
Technology in art; Technology in art--Exhibitions; Performance art--United States; Hodges, Harold; Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008; Bell Telephone Laboratories; Bell Labs
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2014
Physical Description
34 pages
Note (Biographical)
Harold Hodges is a lifelong tinkerer, engineer, and musician. Raised in Dunellen, New Jersey, Hodges served as a medic in Okinawa during World War II shortly after graduating from high school. Following his service in the military, Hodges took an engi neering position at Bell Telephone Laboratories where he worked in laser research and met fellow colleague and scientist Billy Klüver. Klüver encouraged collaborations between the New York art scene and innovators of technology, and he introduced Hodges to Rauschenberg. The technical creativity and skill that Hodges developed while working in the field for Bell enabled him to turn Rauschenberg's artistic visions into reality
Note
Interviewed by Cameron Vanderscoff on November 9, 2014
Note (Provenance)
Harold Hodges, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2019