Tvwishes
On Shana Moulton, MediaArtHistories, Snapshot Photography, and more.
tvwishes (@tvwishes) — a portal into a purer epoch on the Internet. Where modern images can at times feel flimsy and shallow, Evie’s page is devoted to plumbing the depths of authenticity on old Flickr. Deeply in touch with the Internet’s collective consciousness, her curation serves as daydream-fuel. Since starting tvwishes three years ago, the Missouri artist has done more than her part for aesthetic healing online, and has helped inspire today’s flock of net researchers and cultural archeologists.
We’re excited to have Evie on Silk, and even more excited to hear about what she’s been curating.
What draws you to curation?
I started Tvwishes in 2022 after becoming curious about the source of images online and how sources get lost to time due to the nature of social media reposting. Flickr is one of the oldest photo-sharing sites, and it holds a great deal of importance in internet history. Tvwishes actually greatly influenced my choice to begin studying public history at my university, and I was introduced to the world of archives. I began to feel that my life's purpose is to preserve what once was, to vivify the feeling of nostalgia.
Shana Moulton
I highly recommend reading up on Moulton and the stories behind her work. Her interview with e-flux.com in 2024 gave me great insight into her as a person and left me feeling seen in a way I hadn't before. Her use of surrealism through kitsch objects and saturated imagery truly scratches an itch in my brain like no other artist. I would love to speak with her one day.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1993-1996)
Some of my earliest memories are of this show, but it wasn’t until recently that I bought the series on DVD and reflected on it as an adult. There is something so pointedly comforting and relatable about this show; there is a beautiful sweetness to it. The soundtrack stuck with me in a very poignant way and became a major inspiration towards the songs I use in my own posts to evoke that feeling. The songs were primarily provided by “Polaris” also known as “Miracle Legion.”
VampireRobot Archival Footage, (1980s-2000s)
As someone who spends a great deal of time looking at historical images all day it is nice to take the time to watch archival/historical footage and engage with it in a meaningful way. This channel is one of the closest things to a time machine. I especially love the footage of what the web looked like in the late 90s and early 2000s.
MediaArtHistories (2007), edited by Oliver Grau
I stumbled across this collection of essays when doing a research paper on the history of optics. This book has been a significant source of inspiration for me in my historical research and as an artist. The book includes an essay on 18th-century magic lantern horror-theatre known as “phantasmagoria.” The rabbit hole I fell down after reading that particular essay gave me insight into a facet of history that engaged my curiosity on so many different levels. Even if you don’t want to read the entire collection, I highly suggest you read Chapter 7’s essay, “Remember the Phantasmagoria! Illusion Politics of the Eighteenth Century and Its Multimedial Afterlife.”
Quote from “Snapshot Photography, Now and Then: Making, Sharing, and Liking Photographs at the Digital Frontier,” by Catherine Zuromskis
“We keep the images close to us because they speak to us and for us, reinforcing our memories and histories and cultivating our senses of self, even though, in actuality, we may not look at them very often. They exist to be seen but also, on some level, just to exist: as relics and remnants, precious physical traces of our individual identities and histories.”
Under the Western Freeway (1997), Grandaddy
I discovered Grandaddy at a very pivotal time in my life. I remember the day I first heard their debut album “Under the Western Freeway.” I was 16 and mindlessly walking the sidewalks of my neighborhood alone. My heart aches every time I listen to this album, as it reminds me of the potent pain of time passing.
Wraith Pinned to the Mist (2005), of Montreal
When I was around 6 years old, my mom would play this music video on her iPod while she got ready in the morning. I often think of this music video and the memories surrounding it, as my mom has always influenced my creative outlook, and I remain inspired by her every single day.
Who else would you want to see on on WW?
@feb.20.1995, @colechickering, @another.hidden.society, @imagereposter.
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→ Silk is our new blogging platform for curated media.