Televac 86000 5" x 7" Christina Pickard & Robin Orbach Starke $100

In the 70’s and 80’s, the fair had an edge to it. The midway had a real freak show, men with more tattoos than teeth ran the rides, and the bathrooms were scarier than the roller coaster. No one complained about parking in the dirt, and no one even thought about the temperature of the oil that fried up the corny dogs. Twenty-five years later, the fair has lost its edge.

Wonderfully maintained bathrooms aside, we’re always on the lookout for vestiges of the fair of our youth. If you look carefully, occasionally you can find it lurking in the sleazy expression of a carny on the midway or the dunk-tank insult clown. Our favorite place to look is the exhibition buildings. You still see the guys selling knives, the tables full of John Birchers or UAW trying to sign you up, and in a couple of places, you can even find the original personality computer, the Televac 86000. With its blinking lights and metal frame, it looks like something off the original Star Trek set. It’s rickety and scratched, and, in an era of iPods and flat screen TVs, utterly ridiculous. In short, it is magnificent. Neither of us has ever had the nerve to waste our money on an actual test, but it is a cornerstone of the fair, and we look for it every year.

When we were trying to name this painting, we thought of the Televac 86000, and so we named the painting in its honor. Maybe we’ll actually get a test next year.
If you have any questions or would like to purchase today's painting, "Televac 86000," email us at...

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