Artist Michael Bell-Smith ended his recent lecture at MICA by showing three videos that yank the messages out of motion graphics and advertise nothing. What remains are moving images without the swooping words, snappy jingles and swiveling products. The videos isolate cheesy graphics and combine them with music that “goes nowhere” in what seems like more than just formal examinations. Is he raising a point, asking a question or maybe poking fun? Check out these three samples of his work.

Note: This footage was captured from the right side of an auditorium during Bell-Smith's lecture, which accounts for the skewed shape of the screen. The integrity of Bell-Smith's work can only be experienced in uncompressed high definition. Watch a web preview of the first video, "Stack Shatter (Five Ways)," on Bell-Smith's website michaelbellsmith.com.