Homemade TV enabled visitors to The New Museum of Contemporary Art to participate in all aspects of a collectively generated video project on the nature and function of television. The project was conducted in 1990 as part of the exhibition “From Receiver to Remote Control: The TV Set” (September 14 - November 25, 1990) conceived and organized by Matthew Geller, which explored the role of television within the home and family. All visitors to this exhibition were invited to borrow camcorders and make their own videotapes, exploring how TV fits into their lives and what it means to them. Organized in collaboration with artist Branda Miller, the project enabled participants to interact with the exhibition and to experience first hand all aspects of home video production and post-production, while highlighting the way in which camcorder technology has made its impact on contemporary life.
 
Four camcorders were available for one hour intervals during all hours when the museum was open to the public. Project Assistant Yosha Goldstein and five interns dispensed equipment and provided complete orientations which covered technical aspects of using the camera and also addressed how to realize one’s vision on tape.
 
Branda Miller was at the museum every weekend to conduct hands-on editing sessions with project participants in an area of the exhibition specifically designed for this activity. Editing sessions took place every weekend and the results of these sessions were included in weekly compilation tapes which were show continuously in the gallery.
 
Some people did very serious documentation and some imitated television formats, while others made “home movies” or fictional narratives. Avenues for exploration included personal memories related to family and home life; reflections on the relationship between TV and identity; critiques of the exhibition; and issues related to spectatorship and voyeurism. Approximately 2,000 people participated in the project over a period of two months.