“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is a saying that we’re all too familiar with, and that’s exactly what the guys behind Media Pollution have done with old school cathode-ray tube (CRT) TVs.
Dan Dowding, an experimental filmmaker, and Brian Fox, an electronic restoring & recycling genius, make up Media Pollution. Together, the two LA-natives have brought new meaning to discarded/out-of-vogue analog systems by creating immersive, interactive video installations that have popped up at gallery spaces, music festivals like Rolling Loud, and even projects with high-profile artists such as Bad Bunny.
Since putting on an awesome installation at our last Nøthing Fest, the two-man crew has gone on to grow their presence and do some really exciting projects. I’ve recently gotten the opportunity to connect with Media Pollution quarantine-style via email where we discussed a number of topics. Enjoy the full conversation below!
Who are you, and what do you do for fun?
We are Dan Dowding and Brian Fox. Together, we have cultivated a CRT Laboratory in Downtown Los Angeles. We came together and formed Media Pollution, a partnership dedicated to the preservation and exploration of technology, media, and sculpture. Since then, we’ve created dozens and dozens of art installations out of discarded technology. They have been displayed at the We Rise Gallery, David Hasselhoff’s Music Video, and Rolling Loud Music festival to name a few. In addition to the sculptures, members of Media Pollution have taught classes on electronics design and repairability at Burbank Recycles Center as well as mentored students at Art Center College for Design for a course on sustainable product design. 2018 and 2019 proved that Media Pollution could stand on its own, so in January 2020 we committed to a new larger art studio and saving more electronics from an untimely demise. Furthermore, started building a space that could be used for production as well as education. Unfortunately, all of that has been stopped since early March.
Media Pollution is what we do for fun! As we are both a decade into our careers as both filmmaker and director of reuse, Media Pollution is a creative escape that we have found purpose within. Dan recently welcomed a daughter into the world alongside his wife during the pandemic in April. As Brian has worked tirelessly through the lockdown in an effort to keep Homeboy Electronics Recycling alive.
When did you start Media Pollution? How did you come up with your concept and medium of expression?
A little over 10 years ago I graduated from SCAD and moved to LA to explore filmmaking. After a few years here, I became increasingly fed up with the media and throwaway culture so I set out to build a 20’x20′ sculpture out of CRT televisions. A device available for free on the street, yet so representative of the 2 very things I was struggling most to process. The result was a piece named ”Pollution.” It became a backdrop for others and myself to explore our creativity and hone our short film abilities. Lots of which were focused around processing the dichotomies of screens and media. Unfortunately, the studio was abruptly evacuated and the installation had to be destroyed. Luckily I was able to find a studio a few months later at the largest artist community in the country, the Brewery Artist Lofts. Then met Brian Fox, Director of Reuse at Homeboy Electronics Recycling, fellow artist and electronics restoration wizard.
ARTIST STATEMENT: Shedding light on the contradictions of media and abundance of devices by merging digital forms of media creation with analog technology.
MISSION: To transform spaces and people by engineering immersive, interactive, face to face content by blending any and all kinds of hardware and software, both analog and digital.
VISION: Inspire Self reflection & reduction through the consumption of media
VALUES: Preservation of technology through creation
Getting to experience Nothing Fest and take part in a modern punk festival is something I’ll never forget! I had to chase someone down who was trying to steal our mannequin head and when he gave it back to me it was covered in blood.
We were also really honored to get that opportunity to collaborate on Bad Bunny’s Artist Spotlight Stories. It happened right on the cusp of the COVID shutdown and we were able to ship all our TVs to Miami, fly there, and come back to LA right before everything got locked down. All of this was made possible because of filmmakers Kris Mercado and Reuter. We did a small TV Sculpture for their screening party of the Hannibal Burress comedy special “Miami Nights” here in LA. It was proof yet again that this industry is based around networking and connecting with creators that always leads to something bigger and better. I still can’t believe we sent all our TVs to Miami and back. The video came out so great and we couldn’t be more proud to be associated with such a dynamic group of creatives.
In our downtime, we’ve developed multiple installations utilizing our Pi Wall TV Controller and exploring the different ways we can arrange and playback media across our CRT Wall. We collaborated with my (Dan’s) mom’s choir & 50 students from Chariho High School Choir and literally made our TV Wall sing together at a time when they couldn’t rehearse together.
The Black Lives Matter Installation is a pre-edited modern tribute to MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech in visual juxtaposition with the Black Lives Matter movement. It was done to show solidarity with the movement from Media Pollution.
I hope you’ve been safe and healthy during quarantine! How are you keeping busy during this time?
Running a small business right now is certainly been challenging however we have been lucky to have had so much support from the communities around us like the Brewery Artist Lofts where the studio is currently located. I think what’s been the most challenging is having to pivot our business model of being an event-based company. We are refocusing on Film and Video Production and open up our studio to collaborating with different filmmakers and photographers. We’re hoping that we can provide our services in the studio and utilize the permanent installations we have set up. We have been keeping busy working hard to revamp our studio for exactly these types of production with new in-studio installations, a screening room, VJ booth, our CRT Wall, and most recently a BoomBox Wall Installation!
Do you sell your artwork or any merch? How can the people support you?
On our website (mediapolution.tv) we sell a t-shirt and an enamel pin but we’re not really into the merch game. We’ve been more focused on growing our company through our client base. I think the best way to support us is to follow our social media accounts. I think the higher our following can become, the more credibility comes along with that which helps significantly when trying to access a higher level client base. With that said, you can also book your next film production with us. Or you can rent one or many of our TVs and vintage electronics for your next shoot!
What music are you listening to right now? Who are some of your favorite music artists?
Oliver Tree, Run the Jewels, Lo-fi Hip Hop, Royal & the Serpent, & Flaming Dingos!
Are there any new projects you are working on for 2020? Do you have any plans for your art in the future that you might be able to share with us?
We’ve developed a years-long partnership with Miami-based artist Veronica Gessa (@mokibaby) whom we collaborated with on both the Rolling Loud Pyramid and the Bad Bunny Video. We’re hopeful that we’ll see Rolling Loud head to Portugal as planned in July 2021 and we will be able to present our CRT Television Pyramid again. It’s hard to say really; we’re really trying to make a point to be shooting and connecting a lot on the filmmaking side in the meantime until the event world comes back around. Of course, we’ll be cooking up new visualizations and tv creations. Until then, you can follow our journey online where we’ll be sharing and posting all about it!
Special thanks to Dan & Brian for taking the time out of their day for this really awesome chat! You can keep up with the Media Pollution team by following them on Instagram here and on Facebook here.
