History of VHS, Death of Violence
Paul Wong (2010-2026)
6 channel video installation with sound, a mashup of A History of Violence.
A History of Violence (2005) by David Cronenberg is noted to be the last major Hollywood feature film to be distributed on VHS in 2006. This crime thriller is an adaptation of the 1997 DC graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt.
VHS (Video Home System) is a plastic cassette that uses magnetic tape to store analog video and sound. The format was developed by JVC and released in 1976. It dominated home entertainment through the 1980’s and 1990’s.
The first Sony combo TVs with built-in VCR’s were made in 1985 and ended in 2000.
Funai Electric was the final company to manufacture VCR’S for Sanyo in 2015. Down to 75,000 units a year from a peak of 15 million.
The last VHS cassettes were made by Fuji Film in 2012.
This work was originally exhibited at Mountainview Cemetery as part of Paul Wong’s ‘5’ a series of events created for the 2010 Winter Olympics. A new iteration was made for Scenes that Steal Themselves exhibition at the Rio Grindhouse Gallery, Vancouver, October 2026.
