Partially because it was a useful tool for finding videos I needed for projects but mostly because it is very entertaining, I often found myself watching Everest Pipkin’s default filename tv last semester. In the words of the artist, it “finds and plays youtube videos that were uploaded from the camera without edits to the filename.” Because of its generativity, it may not have as strict of a cohesion as other video compilations like The Clock by Christian Marclay, but there is a certain sincerity, humor, and homeliness found throughout the videos. This is especially apparent when comparing these videos to the content normally on YouTube, usually designed strictly for that platform and often exaggerate experiences in hopes of more views and interactions. This work points to generative art as a method of creating collections without the inherent bias of a person selecting the videos, images, objects, or whatever else.
