The late Chris Burden discusses the making and showing of his famous and subversive “Commercials” which he exhibited by purchasing air time on local television stations.

“In the 1970s, Chris Burden produced a landmark series of late-night television commercials that blurred the worlds of entertainment, advertising and conceptual art. Appearing as idiosyncratic interruptions to the station’s regular programming, Burden’s sometimes shocking, sometimes dryly humorous advertisements reveal how easily notoriety and stature can be bought, manipulated, and subverted through popular media.Writes Burden: “During the early seventies I conceived a way to break the omnipotent stranglehold of the airwaves that broadcast television had. The solution was to simply purchase commercial advertising time and have the stations play my tapes along with their other commercials.” In this video, Burden shares the motivations and logistical complications behind his four historically significant ads: Through the Night Softly (1973), Poem for L.A. (1975), Chris Burden Promo (1976), Full Financial Disclosure (1977).” -MOCA TV