Artist Michael Patrick Perez “Silver Screen Meltdown,” Infusing video compression techniques with computer software applications, Perez manipulates Hollywood blockbusters through a series of multiple looped projections, blending pop culture and high art, with a result that challenges popular attitudes regarding commercialism, creativity, and what constitutes originality. “Nothing seems to be original,” says Perez, who attended The Art Institute of California in San Francisco where he studies digital filmmaking and video production. “Everything is re-used or derives from something that already exists. What about taking that ‘something’ and pushing it beyond itself to new forms of originality?” With an eclectic background that includes classical music, photography, and digital art manipulation, Perez draws upon modern psychedelic cinema, forging work that displays a heavy 70’s influence.