By Gina M. Russo, Locust Projects

Now celebrating its 15th year of exhibiting experimental contemporary art, Locust Projects is pleased to present Precipice/PostModem by Miami-based artist Jillian Mayer. Mayer is known for eclectic video installations that compress virtual, cinematic, and physical space. This is Mayer’s largest exhibition to date, passing fluidly from cinema to installation in both the physical and digital realm while incorporating interactive and technological elements to create a nonlinear meta-narrative.

Photo courtesy of Ginger Photography

The exhibition features sculptural and installation work satirically exploring the concept of a technological singularity, the theoretical moment in time when the boundary between human and machine no longer exists. Mayer uses comedy as a means to inspire introspection about technology’s place as a surrogate for spirituality in our lives, and implies that it is quickly becoming much more, regardless of whether or not the predictions of futurists like Ray Kurzweil come to fruition. The various pieces of her show explore the ramifications of this impending change, from angles that range from sociological to parodic to sublime.

Works include A Place for Online Dreaming, an installation with performance, linked to an interactive website at TheSleepSite.net; as well as Swing Space, another video installation featuring several performers on swings above the gallery floor, transfixed by a projected digital reality; and For U, a sculpture that exists in augmented reality and can only be fully seen through a custom smartphone app. Other works will include self-aware paintings, faux infomercials, and poorly articulated androids constructed of digital tablets and Roomba vacuum cleaners.

Mayer will give an artist talk on June 8, moderated by David Castillo. The conversation will begin at 7pm, at Locust Projects: 3852 N. Miami Avenue. The Second Saturday reception begins at 7:30, featuring Sleep Site and Swing Space performances.

Precipice/PostModem builds on a body of work that began with the experimental short film #PostModem which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and was later featured in an independent film retrospective at MoMA in New York as part of the Carte Blanche series.

Precipice/PostModem is made possible with major support from the Harpo Foundation. Special thanks to David Castillo Gallery.