Appalachian Extraction is an immersive installation exhibition rumenating on the fatalism of coalminers in West Virginia when facing the historically imminent disaster of mine collapse. Within it are contained several collaborative works created between Ernie Roby-Tomic and Ali Printz during their residency at the Buxton and Landstreet Gallery - a former company store servicing the mining town in present-day Thomas, WV. Together, they created six paintings of miners with mining lights used in the mines reprogrammed to pulse otherworldly hues found in run mineoff and lung tissue poisoned with black lung. The space was also consumed in a single-channel projection of the Sago Mine recreated using GIS data, photogrammetry, and a mythical visual retelling of the litigation following a mine explosion that occurred in 2006.
In addition to the exhibition, Ali and Ernie also held an online webinar, recreated the exhibition accessible in VR and web browser, and Ernie performed disaster ballads - songs that retain names and details of historical mine disasters.
