Bay Area Premiere! Preceded by: Montenvers et Mer de Glace (Robert Cahen, U.S., 1987). A touristic landscape in the French Alps becomes malleable material. The movement of both the gawkers and the glaciers are now suspended, now accelerated. (8 mins) Ancient of Days (Bill Viola, U.S., 1979-81). A remarkable study of time poses natural versus urban landscapes. In one uncanny episode, different time schemes unfold around the stormy image of Mt. Rainier. (12 mins) (Both Color, 3/4" video, From EAI) Méditerranée Atlantique is a walking meditation that encompasses a mountain range, the Pyrenees, two bodies of water, and several cultures. The purpose of this conceptual walk by Avenel and Giraudon was to observe the particularities of a place, to locate oneself between sky and land. Setting out from the Mediterranean, the artists beautifully captured the shifting panoramas, geologic moods, and climatic upheavals that make the Pyrenees such a mystical range. Excerpts from their travel diaries and the layering of processed topographic maps over the existing terrain create a dense landscape that slowly becomes one of contemplated space. Traversing the upper range, awash in steely grey light, Méditerranée Atlantique presents, if but for a moment, a geography that is reconstructed as inner perception.-Steve Seid