OpTV - Open mic

On a number of occasions OpTV interrupted the normal program to go live. People from the neighborhood were invited to come and say whatever they liked into a microphone, set up in front of a blue screen. As they spoke, their message was transmitted live on the OpTV screen. Using a chroma key technique, well known from weather reports on TV, the blue background was substituted with a selection of 200 images that belong to our visual culture, collected from magazines or television. Local musicians improvised on these images, kids outdid each other in macho gangster rap, and there were spontaneous talk show discussions. One of the more distinct moments was when a Transvaal resident formulated a manifesto against the misuse of urban renewal strategies for property speculation.