The Car Is Dead – Long Live The Car
At Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, collaborative artists Mary Carothers (associate professor of fine arts at the University of Louisville) and Sue Wrbican (assistant professor of art and visual technology at George Mason University in Virginia) froze a 1978 Chevy Nova into a block of ice in an attempt to spark new metaphors to represent the car’s place in American culture.
The artists deliberately began the project with little knowledge of engineering or the science of ice in order to approach the problem with fresh eyes. In this way they felt they could avoid pitfalls associated with following prefabricated formulas and templates for too long. The artists eagerly accepted advice from passers-by and from readers of their blog about how to deal with weather and other mechanical logistics.
Several people—engineers, a former copper miner, the curator of the on-campus mineral museum, and even children—offered insights related to their skills and perspectives that helped the artists make design changes that still accorded with nature. The frozen car now resembles a fossil erupting from a geode more than a gas guzzler frozen in time. The result is open to interpretations ranging from “the car is dead” to “the car is about to be reborn” as a more sustainable form of transportation for the 21st century.
As Sue Wrbican explained: “Each discipline translates beauty differently but each one says let’s move along. Change is essential to all concepts of beauty.” Mary added that as artists “they are driven by concept, dialogue, and intangible forces. The function of public art is to critique, to give observers something to think about. By letting go of some of our control, we encourage the community to contribute solutions. We embrace the idea that a solution will work.”
MTU web cam photos are available here
Mar 05, 2008
I had a Chevy Nova (’86 model, a great car) that I drove until I totaled it just before the ‘91 gulf war. I drove it off a cliff. After that I had to get another car. They had quit making Novas, so I got an Escort. I drove that one until I totaled it to.
Now I’ve been car free for more than a year. I look at your frozen dinosaur, and all I can think is “I love not making payments, buying insurance, buying gas, buying tires, and paying for maintanance.” Getting by is so much easier it’s like the the financial equivilent of ice skating compared to the dragging a heavy load over rough ground that those payments were.
Mar 05, 2008
i agree with the previous poster–although i was lucky enough to get my car as a going-to-college gift from my parents, and so didn’t have to worry about payments, not having one is still a huge weight off my back (and the rest of me, too!) hubby and i love to ride our bikes around town to get where we’re going, or just to get some fresh air.
no traffic, no running out of gas, no break-downs or tune-ups–the auto industry definitely needs to learn some new tricks or roll over and die already.
Mar 05, 2008
The webcam link above didn’t work for me – but I found it here: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/cams/frozen-car/still.html
Mar 06, 2008
This is one of the most creative ways to make a statement about the most pressing issues in our society. I love it! Every one should take note and trade in the 4 wheels for 2 and embrace the idea of not having to buy gas every day to get from one point to another.
Mar 07, 2008
I wish I could trade the car, but it is essential for travel in Ireland, as the public transport system is only effecient in the urban areas. I use bio-diesel, which goes some way to protecting the air and use the bike in the summer.
Patrick.
Mar 07, 2008
Surely this has no place on a site that is devoted to environmental concerns.
As there is no eco statement attached, surely the obvious question is how many resources were wasted in producing this piece of ‘art’? Not least the electricity needed to produce all that ice?
In their own words, the artists say they created this ‘art’ to ’spark new metaphors to represent the car’s place in American culture’. To me, that doesn’t say anything about the environment. It’s simply ambiguous so a reader can read whatever they want into it – as they can with most art.
Sorry, but this is something that should be condemned as an ecological waste, not held up as some sort of eco triumph.
Steve N Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.LionsledbySheep.com
and eco-suspense thriller ‘What if…?’
Mar 10, 2008
Those post-muscle car Novas certainly were terrible, but the muscle car era Nova was a genuine sleeper car that actually got decent mileage for its day. Why not bury an environmental disaster like an old Cadillac (preferably one that is already out of commission)?
Mar 17, 2008
To Steve N. Lee.
I believe the story above includes the statement about giving people something to think about. Thinking often leads to discussion and an open dialogue for disagreement, new ideas and change, often in a positive direction. Sure, if solar energy was used for running the icemaker and existing snow was melted for the H2O component, it could be deemed a more ‘perfect’ situation. I like the concept and it’s possibilities.
Oh, and I drove cars such as this vintage. Now I drive an Prius and bicycle extensively if not walking.
Jan 02, 2010
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