Among Paik’s works that regard television and the moon together as information media is Rabbit Inhabits the Moon. It consists of a TV set and a wooden statue of rabbit watching the television. Often called a “jade rabbit,” the rabbit in the moon pounding with a mortar under a laurel tree, is a mythical figure in the Buddhist tale and in the Far Eastern folklore. The Korean children’ song, Bandal, meaning a half moon, also contains lyrics “On the Milky Way in the blue sky / Glides a little white boat / With a laurel tree and a rabbit.” In Paik’s work, the rabbit is looking at the TV monitor showing the moon where it is supposed to live. The moon shape on the screen is made by computer graphics. Mankind was able to watch the real moon when the historic moon landing was broadcast live on July 20, 1969, which was an epoch-making event of television history. Paik substituted a TV viewer for a rabbit to highlight the role of television bringing realities and imaginations together.
