Video and media art has always had a fertile-but-disruptive relationship with television. In an industry with constantly shifting technologies and distribution systems—both increasingly falling into the hands of the public—the chaos offered opportunities for marginalized voices to be heard. With the rise of the web and digital publishing, we wanted to make sure art could continue its disruptive presence on every new platform, and push back against a looming global Hollywood. Freewaves put on six public debates on these entanglements, covering topics as diverse as multiculturalism, defining markets, the avant garde, LA’s cultural role in the global economy, strategies for independent makers and artists from marginalized communities, and online interactions between “high” and “low culture.”
The debates took place at MOCA (now MOCA Geffen) and local libraries. Participants included artists, curators, academics, digital pioneers, advertising executives, writers, and both independent and commercial broadcasters.
Freewaves is currently deepening and reorganizing our archive of 35 years of public art in Los Angeles. Check back in 2025 to explore more of our history.
