A Man and His Credo
Jason Orman, USA, 2008, 2:30 min, video
In A Man and His Credo, Orman isolates then recombines a series of opening sequences to John Wayne films, layering visual and audio information to create a new language that speaks of cinematic masculinity and exploration.

I Yam What I Yam
Bryan Konefsky, USA, 2005, 16 min, video
The Russian filmmaker Dziga Vertov once claimed, “I am kino-eye, I am mechanical eye, I, a machine, show you the world only as I can see it.” I Yam What I Yam conjoins Vertov’s notion of monocular vision with images of the one-eyed sailor, Popeye, to investigate the relationship between art and politics, truth and escapism, and individual expression and collective voice.

Excavation no. 2
Nicola Bergstrom and Valdemar Lindekrantz, Sweden, 2009, 6 min, video
Bergstrom and Lindekrantz combine footage from YouTube clips of men and women firing automatic weapons at unseen targets outdoors with text written by John Muir, a romantic naturalist and strong conservation activist working at the turn of the 20th century.

In the Eye
Tasman Richardson, Canada, 2006, 2:30 min, video
Employing Richardson's distinct montage style, In the Eye offers an acute commentary on the reflexive nature of the camera, which, despite its ability to survey and expose, can also be used to indulge narcissism and self-destruction.

The Commoners
Jessica Bardsley and Penny Lane, USA, 12:30 min, video, 2009
In 1890, Eugene Schieffelin released 60 European starlings into New York City’s Central Park as part of his plan to introduce every species of bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays to North America. The Commoners considers Schieffelin’s romantic – and naïve – act to question the both poetic and invasive relationship between nature and man.

Paalaala/Remembrance
Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Canada, 2:30 min, video, 2008
This personal account probes themes regarding national and familial identity in the context of the narrator’s Philippine heritage, delving into the pain of memory and complexity of inherited trauma.

Shannon’s Entropy
Evan Meaney, USA, 6 min, video, 2008
Mathematician Claude Shannon's breakthrough concept of lossless compression inspired this piece by Evan Meaney, and forms part of his multi-medium Ceibas Cycle project. Shannon's findings explored how information could be shortened while still retaining its full meaning. Here, Meaney beautifully distorts imagery and sound using Shannon's equations, leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks of a love story complicated by the human glitches in the processes of communication and remembrance.

Destination Finale
Philip Widmann, Germany, 9:15 min, 8mm/video, 2008
A single, solemn man surveys the sweeping landscapes of Paris, bustling activity of London, and ancient ruins of Athens. His presence and interactions with these places reverse the historical role of European travel to (relatively) foreign, distance lands. As Destination Finale progresses, the protagonist starts to wave to the camera, transforming the curious explorer into a gleeful tourist. Widmann’s poignant ending marks this work as one that must be viewed at least twice to understand the significance of this stranger’s journey.

I LOVE RESETS
I LOVE PRESETS, USA, variable duration, video game, 2009
Art as Games, Games as Art. According to the devilish Internet improvisers I LOVE PRESETS, I LOVE RESETS is “a side-scrolling adventure game that was developed for live performance,” comprised of detritus culled from “the wormholes of The Web,” and illustrative of their process of “pillaging the open-archive of the 'net to find content to re-mix, re-use, and re-fsck.” Made by Jon Satrom in collaboration with Jason Soliday and Rob Ray.