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What Is Your Fondest Dream for the Age of Technology?

Couch Potato Wants to Know

Some art shows offer sensual pleasure; others invite a discourse between observer and creator. Video artist Nam June Paik's Electronic Super Highway, now at the San Jose Museum of Art does even more than raise questions--it actively seeks answers. The whole issue of how people communicate through, by and about machines has been turned into an interactive experiment in Paik's Couch Potato installation.

Constructed of discarded TVs and electronic equipment, and ensconced comfortably in a La-Z-Boy recliner, Couch Potato comes complete with its own fax machine and e-mail address to which visitors can transmit their thoughts, opinions and screeds about the electronic future that is already upon us.

To prime the digital pump, Metro and the San Jose Museum of Art are sponsoring a Couch Potato Contest. Each week in the art listings, Metro will pose a question about the new electronic era. Readers can send their responses (up to 50 words) directly to Couch Potato via fax or e-mail. The best response will be printed the following issue. Weekly winners get to choose from among four prizes: 1) a $100 membership to the San Jose Museum of Art; 2) a one-year pass to the museum's monthly Arts Alive! concert series; 3) free enrollment in an art class at the museum's Art School; 4) a Paik Prize Gift Bag that includes the video catalogue for the exhibit, a Nam June Paik T-shirt and a $25 gift certificate to the museum's book and gift shops.

The contest begins on an optimistic note with the question:

What is your fondest dream for the age of technology?

Responses must be received by Friday, March 8. The first winner will be announced in the March 14 issue of Metro, along with the next question.

Couch Potato's fax number is 408/294-7955. Couch Potato's e-mail address is [email protected].

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