Local Legends and Digital Creations

S.A Mayer (b. 1988, Arlington, VA., USA; lives and works in Richmond, VA., USA) uses 3D rendering software to recreate and re-contextualize his real-life surroundings.

In Mayer's latest project Sarxanoa, the digital images involve multiple overlaid narrative threads taking place in Virginia. Theosophical tradition is set against the tech-fueled esoteric consultant culture that has blossomed in recent years. Formally inspired by consumer electronics, the images create a mythology that is loosely based on the idiosyncratic spiritual practices of Virginian mystics Walter Russell and Edgar Cayce. The works highlight a thread that runs from Appalachian folklore into algorithmic prediction models and government contractor technobabble.