This prefix derived from the Greek word tēle, conveys something occurring over a long distance. Applied to words such as telepathy (communicating from afar) or television (seeing from a distance), its usage marks a 'separation' of some kind—whether it is temporal, intellectual, emotional, physical or creative—a perceivable gap between the source and receiver; and something about this distance ends up becoming the best tutelage.

Consider scientists building upon the theories of the many that came before them, an exchange across time and ideas; or lovers estranged by distance or remote emotional capacities: in each case, tele- can be understood as both, a bridge for ideas and a state of separation. Creativity, too, often emerges through or in this palpable chasm, as influence or reaction surfaces through the traversal of time, geographies or cultures. Accordingly, this week's dispatch reviews the registers of this distance—is it potentially enriching, fiercely separative, or a mix of both?

In 'The New Television', a dialogue between historical and present-day discourse on video art is bridged. Elsewhere, 'Cartographies of the Unseen' by Reena Saini Kallat speaks of borders circumscribing the current political moment, and how perpetual the violence of the practice of drawing maps appears to be. NMACC's 'Light into Space' commands not just proximity but an applied distance from the artworks—a demonstration of how optical illusions immerse the audience as an actor or spectator, affected primarily by the space between them. However, the language barrier created by the wall text translations here risks distancing the audience and perchance appears tokenistic.

This understanding of tele- invites reflection on how divides also facilitate the intersection of ideas for newer, more hybrid forms. We wonder if we quite readily or hesitantly create or bridge our distances, how often and to what extent.