Imagine if this has been paid for by a government agency (oh I don’t know, say TransLink?):
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It’s Trans Am Totem – the latest from the Vancouver Biennale – by Marcus Bowcott. It’s not subtle:
By stacking smashed automobiles and levitating them high above the roadway, Bowcott’s sculpture serves to remind us of the ultimate responsibilities we bear to our planet and future generations. Trans Am Totem fantasizes a justified end to car culture even as countless automobiles zoom past on asphalt and concrete ribbons and ooze pollutants and spent carbon fuels into the atmosphere. Bowcott’s vision of nature triumphant subversively reminds ultimately of our ongoing contributions to global warming and further environmental degradation.
Definitely culture war fodder. If you’re by that way (where Quebec turns into Pacific Boulevard) this afternoon, drop by and enjoy the cyclists taking selfies with it.
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UPDATE: Sure enough.
Does it have an elevator or do you have to use the stairs?
Haven’t seen it yet in the flesh, but the pix and general buzz are worth noting. I look forward to checking it out. Again, reminds me of lost and lamented Highway 86 in feeling. (What a loss to this City that was. No use dreaming grandly about public art, huh?)
It’s kinda neat. It reminds me of art from the ’70s that used old car bodies to make a statement. In fact similar statements as then.
But nowadays we all know the message, we just feel powerless to do anything about it, are involved in it, and come to rely on it, and maybe are hoping the problem will just solve itself.