LA Freewaves

LA Freewaves is a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization that advocates for and exhibits uncensored independent new media from around the world. Media art works include experimental video and film (narrative, documentary, art, animation, etc.), DVDs, websites, installations, and video billboards. LA Freewaves supports multicultural spaces by providing Los Angeles venues and the Freewaves website for international and local artists. The group sees itself as a media arts magnet and is currently building one of the largest online archives of streaming new media art works. Freewaves also provides information on new media resources on its website.

As festivals go, it tends to exhibit works that are generally not taken in by Hollywood, big business, networks or cable television. Works in the festival are frequently eccentric and unconventional, favoring content and concepts over aesthetic gimmicks, representing voices not normally heard from in more mainstream festivals. Both well known (Bill Viola, William Basinski, Yes Men, Brad Neely, CrimethInc., Jennifer Steinkamp) and emerging media artists have shown works in Freewaves programs.

LA Freewaves was founded in 1989 by Anne Bray. Bray serves as Executive Director and Secretary and has been working in the field of media arts since the mid '70s as an administrator, artist and art teacher. With representatives of other communities, she founded LA Freewaves and has administered the program since it was launched at the American Film Institute's National Video Festival in 1989.

Freewaves Festivals

[http://www.freewaves.org/hollywould/release1.pdf HollyWould] (2008)

"LA Freewaves 11th Celebration of Experimental Media Arts"

“HollyWould,” the theme for this year’s festival, is a playful and evocative turn on Hollywood, both as an international symbol of the American entertainment industry and as a Los Angeles neighborhood very much in flux.

The 2008 festival will fuse media arts and Hollywood Boulevard Oct. 9-13, 2008. The festival will transform the iconic boulevard into a massive, multi-faceted screening room for experimental videos, films and media art from every continent. Selected works will be projected onto buildings, displayed on LCD screens inside stores and installed in storefront windows.

[http://www.freewaves.org/festivals.htm Too Much Freedom?] (2006)

"LA Freewaves 10th Celebration of Experimental Media Arts"

The festival poses the question of freedom and attempts to answer that question by showcasing work that examines freedom and its conundra, unpacking assumptions about artistic invention, political intelligence, ethical dilemmas and personal desires.

The festival will present experimental media art from around the world at venues in Los Angeles in November 2006 and through the [http://www.freewaves.org/index.php Freewaves] web site. Works from the festival will also appear on public television, video billboards and be video-streamed on the Internet.

[http://www.freewaves.org/festival_2004/index.htm How Can You Resist?] (2004)

"LA Freewaves 9th Celebration of Experimental Media Arts"

More than 150 works of video, film and digital media were chosen addressing the question "How Can You Resist?." Programs in the 2004 festival traversed sexuality, economics, politics, consumerism and media.

[http://www.freewaves.org/festival_2002/index2.html TV or NOT TV?] (2002)

"LA Freewaves 8th Celebration of Experimental Media Arts"

The 2002 festival presented over 300 works in panel discussions, performance events, exhibitions, outdoor community screenings and television broadcasts that dealt with the line between daily life and televised reality. Again, the goal was to present alternative views to what many of the participating artists see as corporate-filtered entertainment and monopolized news reporting.

[http://freewaves.org/pastevents/festivals/festival_00/ Air Raids] (2000)

"LA Freewaves 7th Celebration of Experimental Media Arts"

Air Raids was a citywide festival of experimental, documentary and new media works by artists, activists and media makers. In 2000, this festival featured an opening at MOCA, thematic video bus tours, "TV or Not TV" a 10-year LA media arts retrospective that aired on KCET, online exhibitions, as well as 50 additional screenings and installations at over 30 Southern California venues.

First Celebration of Independent Video (1989)

Launched at the American Film Institute's National Video Festival, this festival marked the birth of LA Freewaves. In cooperation with 35 Los Angeles media and arts organizations, various artistic events were presented at 30 sites while 4 "Road Shows" traveled throughout Los Angeles.

References

[http://www.freewaves.org/ Freewaves Official Website]

[http://www.freewaves.org/about.htm About Freewaves]

[http://www.freewaves.org/festivals.htm Freewaves Festivals]

[http://www.freewaves.org/about.htm Freewaves Timeline]

[http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/002409402753689263 The Community Is Watching, and Replying: Art in Public Places and Spaces by Anne Bray]

[http://www.calarts.edu/redcat/season/20042005/fv/freewaves.html How Can you Resist? at REDCAT]

[http://www.greengalactic.com/e-lafreewaves.html TV or Not TV? reviewed by Green Galactic]

[http://www.counciloftheamericas.org/as/art/freewaves.html Freewaves: Latin America at The Americas Society] An exhibition from TV or NOT TV?

[http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles2000/Articles1100/LAFreewavesA.html Air Raids article by Bill Lasarow]

[http://www.laweekly.com/general/features/digital-universe/185/ Digital Universe by Holly Willis] in the LA Weekly