AARON ANDERSON & ERIC CARLSON
ex HARDLAND/HEARTLAND
ACID WREATH and the POST EVERYTHING
MELTED BRAIN MESS /M/NEGALITH
ALL LA LA LAND: BEYOND THE DEAD END
March 13 - 27
OPENING RECEPTION MARCH 13
7 - 11pm
Synchronicity Space is pleased to present an exhibition with artists, Aaron Anderson and Eric Carlson titled, "Aaron Anderson & Eric Carlson (ex Hardland/Heartland) Acid Wreath and the Post-Everything Melted Brain Mess /M/Negalith All La LA Land: Beyond the Dead End". The opening reception will take place March 13th from 7pm to 11pm. Concepts addressed by the artists involve Presence, Engaging in experience, Performance (and the lack thereof), Fantasy/Reality, Location and proliferation (physically/virtually).
Aaron Anderson and Eric Carlson are the founding members of Hardland/Heartland, an amorphous collective of creativity stationed in Minneapolis, MN.
Part I
Below, is an email Synchronicity Space received as a "proposal-ish Beginnings" from artist, Eric Carlson.
Hey Katie,
Hope all is well.
We've been a bit slower than I'd hoped in getting something sent out to you, but alas we plan on having the file in the mail by the beginning of next week. There will not be many words in the package, so I am putting those in here.
Our conversations (Our: presently being Aaron Anderson and myself - likely a few more in the future) in light of making work for a show at Sync has loosely revolved around a theme of Manifest Destiny - or - mecCA. lifornia.
This spawns partially from a practice of producing a document for or from the act of traveling. As an example, preparing drawings and photocopies prior to a trip, drawing together during travel, compiling the reoccurring themes and inside jokes composed in process and creating a work/collection of said experience - or for the brief jaunt - creating a work prior to travel to be used as a catalyst for interaction.
More recently, we have been throwing around an idea of going on "tour." In this case we could more appropriately call it, driving to Los Angeles and back again.
This may or may not include:
temporary installations at small town skateparks/parking lots
a performance that may or may not involve any actual performing
a 36 hour mix tape
tour merch
fan art!!!
maximal experience points
long drive inspired bad ideas
and the documentation of all things above
We would intend for the final work(s) to be a multi faceted installation at Synchronicity composed of: performance / implied performance, audio / video, sculptural works?, edition-ed "tour" merch, and works on paper.
We will have a clear idea of what our installation will be beforehand, yet maintain the intention of allowing travel / experience / environments the opportunity to influence the work.
Ideally we would like to have a week or so in Los Angeles prior to installation/ as to allow the environmental influence a chance to weigh heavy on our heads.
I think that's all I've got for now... but yes... Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you for your moment.
Best,
Eric Timothy Carlson
Hardland/Heartland - ish
Part II
A black painted box 11.5' x 9' x .75'. The box's previous use is not important as all the instructions of "How to use Highland Brand Transparency Film for Copiers" is striked through with a black marker. The black box itself, not unlike that on a plane, holds the evidence and artifacts of a journey that has ended in disaster. The back cover has an image pasted to it, wind patterns in sand and below the image reads,
G E N E R A L
H L H L \ T H O U G H T S
A A R O N A N D E R S O N
E R I C T I M O T H Y C A R L S O N
What it contains:
A violet file folder, more violet then purple. The top right-hand corner has adhered to the edge, a strip of hot pink duct tape that is folded over and continues on the inside. Clipped to it, an image cut out of a book or magazine depicting a warm sunset with shadowed palm trees in the foreground and on the back contains geographical writings that are striked out with a black marker, leaving the only readable words, "the Ring of Fire.” Is this LA as paradise or apocalypse? The next image, a xerox of a dolphin with a cartoon eye and written in pencil "RAPPIST,” a composite that creates a contradiction of its expectations. Cartoon dolphins imply sweet and cute, this "RAPPIST" dolphin is sweetly ignorant and horrifically violent. Next, a 4'x6' glossy Fujicolor Crystal Archive photo with what looks to be four young girls, probably art students - they have that look, exchanging non-descript patterned papers. We are the students, always seeking a deeper meaning in art, in our existence, in nothingness.
The violet folder is lavender inside. The brand name and folder instructions are obscured by gold tape and more hot pink duct tape. The only part that reads unobstructed: "THIS PRODUCT WORKS."
33 loose pages, all different colors ranging from manila, taupe, one hot pink, coral, and one white page. A common motif is the melding and friction between the natural/analog/organic and the artificial/digital, although the bright neon pink and gold tape on the folder and surrounding "this product works" suggests an artifice in everything contained therein. A lot of what's in the folder is full of contradictions: Pixellated oceans, sharp lines intersecting the elegance of nature, satanic bongs, kinky Disney abberations, some images distorted by computers, others by hand.
The purpose of the box is not to answer all the questions we might have about the show, but to create an artifact of a certain time, place and movement that informs the whole of the exhibition. This box presents a mystery, "AARON ANDERSON & ERIC CARLSON ex HARDLAND HEARTLAND ACID WREATH and the POST EVERYTHING MELTED BRAIN MESS /M/NEGALITH ALL LA LA LAND: BEYOND THE DEAD END".
PART III
M A R C H 13 - 27
"AARON ANDERSON & ERIC CARLSON
ex HARDLAND HEARTLAND
ACID WREATH and the POST EVERYTHING
MELTED BRAIN MESS /M/NEGALITH
ALL LA LA LAND:
BEYOND THE DEAD END"
Opening Reception to take place March 13th, 7pm to 11pm.
Artists, Aaron Anderson and Eric Carlson will be in attendance. If you have any questions, please call 323-284-8960 or email info@syncspacela.com.
