Chunky Fringe 2023

Harrow Arts Centre, 29th July, 11:00 - 17:30.

Updated 15-07-2023.

Chunky Fringe is somewhere dry for the retro technology lovers to mingle, perform and demonstrate their work. It will feature teletext, and more. Strategically located to snare Digitiser Live punters collecting their merchandise, it also features a separate performance space for the noisy bits.

Everyone visiting Harrow Arts Centre that day will be welcome to dip in and out of our exhibition room as they please, no tickets required. Our performance room will provide context via a live episode of the Teletext Sofa Club, then a special blend of public participation and actual videogame content.

Where

Harrow Arts Centre is on the leafy outskirts of London. It is spacious, with step-free access, and toilets are dotted around the site. The site is adjacent to playing fields and a supermarket, covering all your needs for solitude and affordable fizzy pop.

Our exhibition room, the Hatch End Suite, is the place to see and poke vintage technology. It will be open from 11:00 to 17:30. The schedule for our performance room, the Boiler House, is down the page. Live performances will also be streamed to the Hatch End Suite, but space is limited in the Boiler House, so please let us know if you would like to reserve priority seating.

The Hatch End Suite faces the main car park, around the corner from the front steps where the cool kids hang out. The Boiler House hides around the back of the Hatch End Suite, sporting a tall chimney.

What's On

The Teletext Crew, who form the backbone of these events, will bring their old televisions, remote controls, and video tapes to the Hatch End Suite. Chunkytext, our very own teletext service, is back and waiting for your contributions. It's not all about teletext though, as evidenced by our list of multi-talented attendees:

• Carl Attrill - Artist, podcaster, MC and puppeteer.
• Alistair Cree - Software, soldering irons and heavy machinery.
• Nathan Dane - Analogue broadcasting and engineering.
• Andrew Gillett - Returning to demonstrate his new indie game.
• Jamie Nemeth - Streamer, musician, dipping toes into teletext.
• Jason Robertson - Archivist, curator, drums and guitar.

More exhibitors are welcome (but hurry), full details here.

Join us in the Boiler House for two free performances, no ticket required. Doors open fifteen minutes before scheduled start times. No strobe lighting or pyrotechnics, at least not intentionally.

• 12:00 - Teletext Sofa Club
• Hosted by Carl Attrill.
• Steve Horsley - The most prolific teletext artist.
• Jason Robertson - Teletext archaeology for beginners.
• Other exhibitors, ambushed by our roving reporters.


• 15:00 - Chunky Fringe Presents...
• Hosted by Chris Jerden-Cooke - Biffo's musician, lyrics not his fault.
• Featuring Chris Bell - Preserving classic Digitiser since 1997.
• Featuring Quang Nguyen - Game collector and developer supreme.
• Featuring Ash Versus - Moore nostalgia from Under Consoletation.
• Starring Yourself, yes, You, and your game purchasing regrets. Spaces remain!
• Surprise guests? Maybe.

Play Safe

Harrow Arts Centre reserve the right to display "life drawings and other images which may challenge some customer's sensitivities". This also applies to historic teletext 'tudes and nudes, so parental discretion is advised. Unattended children will be returned to the 1970s.

Despite the best efforts of those who have moved on to hyping AI this month, there's still no money in the modern videotex scene. Even if you used to work in teletext for a living, the most fame you can expect is five minutes with Angela Rippon, which you get regardless when coincidentally defrauded. In short, the prospect of commercially-motivated malicious or vexatious behaviour at this event is vanishingly small.

However, this is a public venue, so please do report anything that seems wrong to ourselves, to Harrow Arts Centre, or to Team Digi. Mr Biffo's continued freedom demonstrates that social awkwardness is not a crime, but we will gather impartial evidence regardless. Genuine misunderstandings are expected, and for the rare exceptions, we will be prepared to report exactly what we saw in court. Objection!

While Chunky Fringe is no substitute for broken mental health services, it is a pleasant place to meet people pursuing niche interests for their own sake. Vulnerable adults who aren't starring in Digitiser Live must be accompanied at all times, but the venue is otherwise accessible to all. We might have missed something though, so please let us know if you have any concerns or requests.

Questions?

David Walford (that's me) is the idiot responsible for this event. I occasionally appear in the Teletext Discord, but prefer email because it's harder to miss. Address at the bottom.

Chris Bell is our respectable social media face who remembers his hand-coded HTML roots. If Twitter is working this week then follow him for all the latest news, because it probably won't matter by the time I add it here. You can also join the Facebook Event Page (thanks Jason.)

Mr Biffo and Sanja are the authority on Digitiser Live and our sort-of hosts, so we defer to their judgement in all matters overlapping our event. Ask them first if your question straddles both camps.

Mr. T does not endorse our bin modifications.

Email: comments at arbitraryfiles.com