“The Elephant vs. The Termite” — Currently at University Art Gallery

UCSD visual arts isn’t kidding when it touts its cross-departmental approach — just take a peek at the 15 master of fine arts candidates’ finest works shown off at University Art Gallery. A great majority of the pieces are mixed media, mashing up video, photography, found art, the Internet and much more. The young’uns are a talented, witty and socially conscious bunch, commenting on everything from Katrina (with a dream hurricane-proof model house) to poverty in Tijuana (with a photo essay/trash pile). One of the highlights is a Web site project called the “Sinister Social Network,” a post-Sept. 11-inspired surveillance system aimed at identifying “suspicious group activity.” The really creepy part of it, though, is that if you take the word “sinister” out of the Web site’s sign-up page, it looks a whole lot like Facebook and co. Don’t say you weren’t warned. (GF)