Nature
and humanity
Ironically,
the viewer finds a more convincing argument about the ubiquitous
nature of technology and its effects on humanity in the museum's
companion show, "DV Noir: Video Art From Under the Shadow of Hollywood."
Throughout this exhibition showcasing the works of contemporary
Los Angeles-based video artists, the pieces are far more visually
engaging.
Chris
Rowland's DVD, "The First Time," unfolds as a series of fragmented
shots: A woman's hands run over an automobile's smooth, polished
metal, and a man's fingers toy with car keys, as a revving motor
provides the soundtrack. This teasing collection of quasi-erotic
images could have been equally inspired by underground filmmaker
Kenneth Anger's avant-garde short films, as well as J.G. Ballard's
dystopian novel "Crash." The piece also shows how cars become projections
of their drivers' attitudes and, even, obsessions.
With
Dane Picard's video, "Portraits, IDs and Snapshots #2," the artist
uses the medium to look inward rather than at the outside world.
This deceptively simple piece is made up of still photographs of
the artist from childhood to adulthood. What makes this strange
self-portrait resonate is the way each photo quickly morphs in the
next image with an almost seamless fluidity. In a very succinct
way, Picard captures both the passage of time and how a person's
inner life can often be evoked in even the most banal family pictures.
While
Picard zooms in on the small details of his own life, Esther
Mera's multichannel video installation, "Signal to Noise," aspires
to catch a glimpse of something larger and more otherworldly.
In
Mera's piece, dimly lit walls become pseudo movie screens where
the artist projects ambiguous images of shadowy figures strolling
across grainy, black-and-white landscapes and satellites orbiting
in space. The piece's spooky, dream-like atmosphere is heightened
by the chirping of live crickets in screened enclosures, and a trio
of empty beds arranged in various spots of the room.
In
many ways, Picard and Mera are polar opposites in terms of their
approaches. While neither artist is as well-known as the medium's
pioneers, Nam June Paik or Bill Viola, their intriguing works in
"DV Noir" suggest that they are very much in sync with our current,
high-tech Zeitgeist and its possible, emotional fallout.
Neil
Kendricks is a San Diego artist.
datebook
"Interface:
A Juried Exhibition Exploring Art, Science and Technology" and "DV
Noir: Video Art From Under the Shadow of Hollywood"
California
Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd. Both exhibitions
run through June 29
(760)
839-4120 or www.artcenter.org