Immediate Response
Upon the first look at this life size piece, my first reaction was that it was a computer model. It seems almost photoshopped into its landscape as it appears to be floating just barely above the ground. The landscape that it is photographed is very interesting because it has so many textures and colors, and based on which angle you’re viewing the sculpture, the combination of change in background and foreground, along with how the mirrors reflect the light give a totally different version of the sculpture each time. The fractal geometry of the sculpture makes it seem like this piece was taken directly out of a video game and into real life.
Objective Description
Even though there are no decals or emblems, this car is very apparently modeled after a Mercedes Sedan, specifically from the front grill and the headlight shape. It is constructed from thousands of triangular mirror sections, artfully constructed into a life size model of a car that has just recently gotten into a serious accident. The front left side of the car is completely destroyed, and the front drivers side wheel well is completely caved into the drivers cockpit. The sculpture sits in a field with many kinds of greenery and man made objects. Short, round, fuzzy looking bushes are scattered around an arid dirt ground, with long wheat like bushes behind the sculpture on one side, and a large concrete wall behind the other. Surrounding all of these are a wall of tall, green pine trees.
Technical Decisions
Construction – This sculpture looks like it was extremely tedious and difficult to construct. The artist was able to achieve the extremely difficult task of securing 12,000 individual tiles with perfect seamlessness into an extremely recognizable figure. There is undoubtedly a highly complex skeleton frame underneath all of the mirrors that supports the structure. What makes this piece so impressive is that due to the thousands of painstakingly small pieces, each angle you view the car from highlights different tiles because of the light that is reflected back at the viewer. From certain angles the front grill is the focus of the piece, and yet from slightly to one side it blends right into the rest of the car.
The Work in the World
It is very apparent that this piece is made entirely from mirrors, the use of mirrors in the sculpture likely serves to draw attention to the theme of reflection and self-awareness. The wrecked car serves as a metaphor for the fragility of human life and the destructive nature of our actions. The mirrors on the car reflect the viewer, inviting them to consider their own role in society and the impact they have on the world around them. Additionally, the choice of a car as the subject matter of the sculpture may also comment on the ways in which our modern societies are built around the car culture, and the negative impact of this culture on the environment and human life.
The Story it Tells
The car which is typically associated with speed, power, and freedom, is now depicted as a wreck, reflecting the destructive consequences associated with driving a car; whether it’s the environmental pollution, human accidents, or the social issues that come with car culture. The mirrors on the sculpture reflect the viewer and their environment, asking them to consider their own role in society and the impact they have on the world around them, and also to reflect on the destructive consequences that come with our actions. The sculpture also serves as a reminder of the delicate nature of life and how fragile we actually are despite the false sense of security we are often comforted with. The quote “Don’t throw stones in a glass house” comes to mind when thinking about this work.