This collaborative project by Jesse Bercowetz, Matt Bua and Carrie Dashow was inspired by the otherworldly evidence gathered in their previous project, “Under Island,” exhibited last fall at P.S.1.

Upon entering the gallery, the viewer encounters a subdued glow, steam rises from mounds of earth, and the wreckage of a fallen lighthouse levitates above the floor. Looking into the crevices of the fallen edifice, one discerns an infestation of cockroaches and worms. Pressing on, the spectator encounters a visual labyrinth of tunnels, caves, and the demise of industry. These images appear on five monitors, randomly activated as the spectator moves about the space. Set on robot-like steel structures, these monitors appear as the heads of mechanical arachnids. On the wall, looming between these structures, gleams the mesmerizing projection of a marbleized eye. All the while, sounds from insects mix with early American a cappella style songs which whisper “crows descend, the city looking … this empire toppled some time around now.”

Jesse Bercowetz and Matt Bua have collaborated for the past five years. Their work has been shown at P.S.1, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Socrates Sculpture Park, Drawing Center, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Smack Mellon and Rice University Gallery (Houston).

Carrie Dashow works in video, ranging from large-scale to single-channel, and performance. Her work has been exhibited at P.S.1, UCLA Hammer Museum, Smack Mellon and Eyebeam.