From 2005-2013 Nix and Gerber worked meticulously on their series entitled “The City,” which largely pictured apocalyptic interiors. For their new work they have moved “outdoors” depicting what remains of extensive landscapes and cityscapes after mysterious, unexplained catastrophic events. They write:
Landscapes are more than a visual record of an environment. They also capture the emotional, sometimes spiritual, essence of a place. ‘Empire’ presents a world transformed by climate uncertainty and a shifting social order as it stumbles towards a new kind of frontier. These places are eerily beautiful but also unsettling in their stillness and silence. Long ago man entered the landscape and forced nature to his will. Once grand and emblematic of strength and prosperity, these landscapes now appear abused and in decay, and it is uncertain how they will continue to (d)evolve.
In order to create their disastrous scenarios, Nix and Gerber painstakingly construct intricate dioramas in their Brooklyn studio which are then carefully lighted and photographed. The obsessive process requires patience and precision and is particularly slow-going, with only a few artworks produced each year.