“The Hudson River” written on the lower part of this work indicates that this drawing depicts New Jersey and its landmarks such as Freedom Tower and AT&T. The Bell Labs affiliated to AT&T ran a residency program for avant-garde artists in the 1960s, which was also an important organization for Nam June Paik. Paik took part in the Bell Labs from 1966, and as a resident artist in 1967, he researched various possibilities of the computer by using the lab’s facilities. While the distance between Soho, New York—where Paik lived—and the outskirts of New Jersey was quite far, Paik came to work in the lab three or four days a week. Two drawings depicting New Jersey all feature similar female nudes with a distinctive hairstyle, presumably portraying specific women that Paik had in mind.
