Laura Valentino is an American artist who has resided in Reykjavík for the past 8 years. In the past she has painted, made films and tapes, and pictures for kids. She is currently involved in digital media and is experimenting with unusual (i.e. cheap) outputting procedures and the possibilities of the WWW. "To me, the computer is a warm and cozy tool to be played with and manipulated -- I'm really just doing something handmade, like making a patchwork quilt."

"Sensual Machines" is a short computer animation which draws its inspiration from the seductive power of computer-mediated communication. On one hand, CMC offers a filtered depiction of reality -- we see only what the person on the other end chooses to let us see; on the other hand, CMC allows an ease of intimacy that never lets us forget the existence of a blood and flesh human on the other end of the wire.