An Old Trabant Residing in a Living Room

Above on the left is a remarkable picture which I scanned from an old issue (24th to be exact) of Cogito (A philosophy periodical from Istanbul). Enis Batur credits it to a pre-2003 Le Monde special supplement on Cuba, but I have not been able to locate the original version through web or the school library (I would greatly appreciate anyone who would point out the original source). It is a photograph of an old Trabant (presumably a Trabant 601 or 1.1), replete with symbolisms in manifold contexts, the most insteresting of which to me is its undeniable artistic content and value. E.B. cleverly suggests that the couple have unknowingly created an art installation with a stunning outcome and I can not concur more. But, to me, there is also an inherent performance character as we can not isolate the car from the personal space(living room) it has modified and from the old couple staring at it. This is why this picture is so enticing to me in the first place. In its final form this is a monumental piece of performance, reminding me the former UCLA professor Chris Burden’s performances with a VW Beetle (shown on right). But the Le Monde picture is something more; this car apparently acts as a storage device for the old couple incessantly unpacking distant memories as they spectate it. By the way, the Trabants themselves are no strangers to art installations and performances, the most famous ones being the three cars used for U2’s Zoo TV tour of 1992-1993.

The original link for Burden’s Photo is:

http://www.zwirnerandwirth.com/exhibitions/2004/0904Burden/images/perf/transfixed.jpg