Dust

In Dust, Tony Oursler presents a giant, magnified particle that comes to life in an immersive installation. Eyes, mouths, hands, and feet are projected onto the sculptural form, appearing and fading within the spiraling galaxy-like arrangement. Raspy voices utter unrelated phrases (“annihilate into pure evaporation” and “pesticides, cigarettes, drugs”), as if each speck of matter has the potential for human thought. These sound bites also address the transformation that is fundamental to every material form that makes up the world, alive or inanimate. Another voice states, “dust to dust,” quoting the biblical verse that describes both creation and decay; it is a reminder of the circular state of bodily existence, born from the earth and returned to it. The large scale of the sculpture posing as a microscopic molecule prompts awareness of our own physical presence, at once massive relative to actual detritus and miniscule in comparison to the cosmos.