November 22, 2015 - January 31, 2016

Edible Planets / Soylent Dialogues

Organized by Mateo Tannatt

Jennifer West / Deanna Erdmann / David Leonard and Will Benedict

William Leavitt / Kenneth Tam / Jibade-Khalil Huffman

(installation shots below)

The Pit is pleased to announce Edible Planets / Soylent Dialogues, a new group exhibition of video works curated by Los Angeles based artist Mateo Tannatt. An opening reception will take place on Sunday, November 22 from 4-7 pm.  A limited edition Risograph printed poster designed by Tannatt and The Pit will be available at the opening. 

Fragments from “Soylent Dialogues”

     “All the spoken languages of the world had been purchased in advance. Images were now the most common and preferred form of communication. Audible speech, or 'chat' was a luxury now. Affectionate means of speech being the most expensive, would sometimes only be used once in a lifetime. Dictionaries were now the itemization of checks and balances, a valuable vocabulary of daily economics. The once thought endless manner of speech and dialogue now had greater currency and value then any other commodity. The entirety of language had been seized upon and made into a lucrative commodity split between many governments, individuals and shareholders.”

     “The purchase of any language had been laughed at from the outset, but one by one words had been carefully chosen and purchased.  Slowly simple sentences became difficult to say without owing some entity money in order to complete. The simple 'yes' and 'no' answers were now the most adequate exchange between beings and also an effective way to save money. Hand gestures and gesticulations still remained free. Sign language however if performed too well could be taxed.”

     “Early on drawings and writing on paper had been used to avoid the use of speech. Entire meals could be eaten alongside frenzied sketches and penciled descriptions, both paper and dishes piling up alongside one another. This was of course in the very beginning long before all communications were replaced with the image displays that now seemed to cover every surface of the populated world. Shown indoor and outdoor, on clothing and architecture, the technology of the image display was pervasive and effective. Many different Algorithms had been written to generate a seemingly infinite amount of new image combinations. Now any image or could have the possibility of tens of millions different configurations.”