In 2004, Voom, a network of television channels aired in the 1080i format, initiated a residency program, giving artists access to the full breadth of HD technology. The variety of outcomes is stupendous, with fictive fantasies, quirky essays, performative portraits, and abstract image extravaganzas all sharing a common characteristic, a pixel count that would have seemed absurd just a few years ago. For some artists, the joy is in the looking as the color palette gains discrete and shining tonalities; others pay more attention to the granularity of the image now that the pitch is pronounced; and still others stretch out in the panoramic frame or revel in the crisply layered compositing. HD, at its best, has six times the resolution of standard def, and though this by no means guarantees brilliant art, it does give you a highly resolved place to begin. The HD works in this Voom compilation are just the beginning.
An additional program of HD works will be screened at the San Francisco Art Institute on October 21. Information: www.sfcinematheque.org.