Dallas VideoFest kicks off this weekend with Expanded Cinema, taking over the facade of the Omni Hotel. We’d like to introduce you to the artists whose work will be featured 23-stories high. Joins us for the show at 8 p.m. Friday. Best viewing is from Hickory House Barbecue on Industrial Blvd. And tune in to KXT 91.7 for the accompanying soundtrack. Thanks to curator Mona Kasra for providing this info:

Name: Jonathan Monaghan

From: Brooklyn

Collaborator: Evan Samek (music)

The piece: “Fly”

In “Fly” a virtual city becomes a type of jungle for birds of prey. Flying through an urban landscape in slow-motion, silhouettes of the both majestic and deadly birds seem oddly at home. While the metaphor is subjective, their surreal presence in the city develop an abstract narrative of power and epic beauty.

Bio: Jonathan Monaghan (born 1986, New York) is an interdisciplinary artist working with computer animation and 3D printing to examine popular culture and Western history. He has presented his work in venues such as the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C., the BFI Southbank in London, the Anthology Film Archives in New York and the Moving Image Art Fair in London.

Here’s some excerpts from 2012 Sacrifice of the Mushroom King