Aspect: Artists of the West Coast

Aspect is a quarterly DVD magazine focusing on video installations, cyber-art, and other forms of avant-garde, media-driven artworks. Artists of the West Coast is the second volume to be released, and much of its content is both visually exciting and thought-provoking. Anthony Discenza's "Object 8242600" features a wall-sized screen broken into ever-shifting fragments with elusive hints of quasi-familiar images (viewed long enough, the piece seems to be a commentary on the dizzying experience of consumer culture). Carole Kim and Jesse Gilbert's "Reverse House Kit" peers into a spooky room full of non-distinguishable items, conveying the overall effect that something big is about to happen, while Survival Research Laboratory's “E-Motion” is an almost indescribable, apocalyptic piece featuring robotic machines in extreme street drama. Also included are Scott Snibbe's “Deep Walls” and Brent Watanabe's “Thrift Store Tape #3,” as well as artist biographies and audio commentaries for all. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)