Beyond the Mind's Eye

Your dreams can take you beyond the mind's eye. So says the chunky, computer-animated head that introduces this collection of state-of-the- art computer artistry, before it breaks up and scatters. Original electronic music by Jan Hammer supplements the visuals, which are rich with mind-warping detail. If you've seen The Lawnmower Man (and can set aside for the moment how lacking in narrative elements it is), then you know what territory you're in here. You're likely to think of these animations, using computer wizardry as they do along with the trappings of virtual reality, making surreal connections from one image to another, and traveling through landscapes and construct architectures, as the kind of thing that would be championed by magazines like Mondo 2000 or Wired. And you'd be right. Fans of computer art and movie magic alike should feel very much at home in these construct worlds, and others might be fascinated to see what can be imagined in the surreal confines of cyberspace. --Jim Gay