Mary Mattingly's 'Second Nature' Exhibition at Robert Mann Gallery Explores Nomadic Futures

Mary Mattingly's exhibition 'Second Nature' at Robert Mann Gallery in New York from January 5 to February 25, 2006, presented photographs envisioning a future shaped by environmental and corporate forces. Her work depicts nomadic 'navigators' equipped with 'wearable homes' and gadgets like the 'G-Simpod,' a handheld device serving as a virtual God-substitute. These figures inhabit landscapes altered by rising tides, blending digital fabrication with real-world photography to critique corporate homogenization. Mattingly's science-fictional approach, influenced by Ray Kurzweil's ideas, suggests technology will merge with human intelligence, creating a positive singularity. She spent a month in the desert near Bend, Oregon, testing prototypes, adding a personal dimension to her predictions. Specific C-prints like 'Go Forth and Multiply' (2005) feature branded plastic fruits on artificial trees, while 'Hirshworld 2' (2004) and 'Loss-Accountability of Top-Down Ontologies' (2005) show corporate entities like Filene's Basement and CVS on desolate islets. The artist's website, marymattingly.com, includes a lexicon of 26 hybrid words to explain her concepts. Mattingly uses digital tools like Bryce and Maya to create seamless images, arguing that future humans will become more self-aware through technology, embracing nomadic lifestyles freed from property dependence.