LA Freewaves' biennial festival is a twenty year-old touchstone for currents in new media. This year, the nonprofit arts organization celebrates the series' tenth installment with a program that shakes up the very context of festivals. Entitled 'Too Much Freedom?,' this month-long series of events, screenings, and exhibits throughout Los Angeles and online erupts from the premise that 'Institutions have historically struggled to find a balance between the expressive rights of the individual and the innate desire for societal stability.' The notion of 'safe decisions' is proven dangerous to free speech and other civil liberties as the film, video, and new media works explore 'a multiplicity of cultural values, including artistic invention, political experience, and human need.' While these issues are certainly pertinent in the US, the festival includes works by a group of international artists juried by a diverse committee of local curators. Visit their site to dip into the conversation, or to survey the online archives from their 8th and 9th festivals, respectively focused on television and resistance. - Angela Moreno
