Ford Festiva Crushed Art Car - Still life with stone and car

Festiva Crushed Art Car - Still life with stone and car

"Still life with stone and car", was created by Arkansas-born and Berlin-based artist  Jimmie Durham who dropped a mammoth 3 ton rock onto an unsuspecting 1999 Ford Festiva hatchback rock art car.

They used a crane to hoist, then drop the rock onto to the art carand then it was moved to final resting place, a roundabout in Walsh Bay Sidney, Australia for an outdoor sculpture display in 2004.

In the article I read it says that he and he wife went looking for the prefect art car for sale at a local car dealership. They went looking for a small sedan - or possibly a hatchback, preferably Australian-made, and definitely red; somewhere between $5000 and $10,000, and capable of supporting a two-ton rock dropped on its roof. Can you imagine the look on the car salesmen face on the last point but after some negotiating, eventually agreed to sell the car for $7800.

Here is what the artist had to say about his work:

"Like most of my recent work, this piece is concerned with monuments and monumentality, but also with 'nature'; that implacable hard stuff. In the first instance I am using the stone as a tool; to change the shape of an object. But I also, as usual, want to make stone more light, more moveable, even if it is in a fairly horrible way - like a road accident.. I do not think the piece is humorous; even though it turns out to be. The kind of face painted on the real version will, of course, depend upon the shape of the stone, but it will in any case be placid, and neither 'realistic' nor cartoon-like. To my way of thinking if the stone is simply a stone without a face it becomes a gesture but with the face painted on it, the work develops a strange narrative. "

I think they got rocking good deal on this ford festiva

Festiva Crushed Art Car - Still life with stone and car

Festiva Crushed Art Car - Still life with stone and car

Festiva Crushed Art Car - Still life with stone and car

via smh photos via madwips

Awesome Aussie Vespa dealer

Les Smith, importer, and Vittorio "Tony" Tonon.

The wonderful world of internet. I started chatting on the forum of Vespa Riders Club of Australia. I asked about some old Vespas and was directed to the site of the Vespa dealer Vespa House in Melbourne.
And discovered some amazing pictures from the about the late fifties, Vespa House was established in 1956 by italian immigrant Vittorio "Tony" Tonon.
I got in contact with his grandson Dean Tonon, who with his brother Jemahl is running the business nowadays while their father Frank keeps an eye on things.
Dean has let me publish the pictures here on my blog.
- Tony, everybody called him that, and my father Frank and our mechanic Johnny, established the company. We're just happy to continue, Dean says.
Tony is riding pillion in the top picture, at the handlebar is Les Smith, manager for the Vespa importer Bruce Small.
Dean's uncle Bruno Tonon was also involved.
- He worked with them in the early days. He even met his future wife, Ingun from Gothenburg (!), in the workshop. I think that Ingun was riding a Lambretta at that time.
The mechanic Giovanni "Johnny" Scriba arrived 1959 at the age of 20 in Melbourne and the year after he started to work for Vespa House. And he is still helping out!
The pictures are actually in colour, but heavily faded after over 50 years. I decided to show them in b/w instead.
Look at the awesome Holden "Ute"or "Utility"car with two kids outside the workshop. With the inscription "Tony's Vespa Towing Service". I bet it was handy, but was it good for business? Does Vespas really need towing?
Holden was the Australian subsidary of General Motors, since 1931. I think the one below is the FJ Holden Utility 1953-1956 (Aussies, feel free to correct me!).

Bruno Tonon outside the workshop.

A wonderful Holden "Ute", a pickup affiliated with General Motors.

They serviced both Vespa and Lambretta. Faro basso far right.

They even had a Vespa 400! Missed the girls name.

And an Ape!

Mini Carmonica or Harmonicar Covered in 330 Harmonicas

Just got this in today, a Mini Carmonica or Harmonicar covered in 330 Harmonicas Ah I dunno, but it literally screams around town and quickly goes from 0 to G-Sharp in roughly 5.8 seconds. The harmonicas were all the key of G, but apparently the ones with insects stuck inside were G-Sharp. The harmonicas were affixed with double-sided adhesive, which believe it or not can withstand a 300-degree heat. Which is handy if the turbo gets too hot, or for when the car jumps it through flaming rings of fire.

Speed doesn't kill people, cars hanging from trees in Australia telling people that "speed kills", kills people

Again with the hanging car, but this time its a warning to other drivers in West Australia that "Speed Kills". But did did it ever occur to the marketing genius that distraction also kills. What is the point of slowing down only to run into another tree while trying to read the sign. Two weeks later your car is up on a tree down the street saying "Billboards Kill". Speed doesn't kill people, cars hanging from trees in Australia telling people that "speed kills", kills people. Photo by Owen

2011 Hyundai i20 Art Car

Commisioned by Hyundai Australia, two local Sydney artists created this vibrant art work, using aerosol paint only, the colaborations of two distinct styles sees bright colours, and organic patterns illustrate nature morphing with urban lifestyle. via

Aboriginal Toyota Art Car Basket made from Grass

This Australian Aborginal Toyota Art Car Basket was created using Tjanpi Grass by the Tjanpi Weavers Group headed by Artis Kantjupayi Benson using a lesser-known Aboriginal weaving art practice.

The Grass Toyota art car ended up being 16ft long by 13 feet wide and 5m long, and 8.2 ft high and was was commissioned by the World Expo in Hanover Germany.

While Kantjupayi sat on a chair leaning on her long walking stick, she oversaw the younger women drawing the shape of the vehicle with chalk on the concrete floor of the Blackstone hall. Minyerri grass, a wiry grass found in the sandy country approximately 20kms from Blackstone, was used in the construction. The grass was fashioned into coils and attached with jute twine and wire to welded steel framed panels covered with chicken mesh. The steel frames were made by Perth sculptor Claire Bailey, adhering to the women’s designs. All in all there were twenty artists involved over a month long period to realise the work and there was much celebration, hilarity and joy on its completion.
via

Rolls Royce Art Car by Pro Hart

Pro Hart (1928-2006) is on of Australia's most famous artist and considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement. His works were shown on a wide variety of products such as air conditioners, beer cans, kitchenware, and telephone cards, and also a very popular carpet commercial on television.

He lived in Broken Hill, in Outback Australia, and owned a number of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars witch he drove all over the outback, and described them as "bloody good cars for the job". He is also famous for his painted 1973 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce art car in 1999.

photo via

Melting Ice Cream Truck - Summer is almost over, D'oh!

With the end of summer looming and the beginning of school just around the corner, what better symbol than a melted Ice Cream Truck sculpture. Created by Canadian-born sculptor Orest Keywan in Australia who won the artist $30,000 Sculpture by the Sea prize in 2006. Sorry, I guess August is almost over and I am not happy with it:(

Magic Bus, Byron Bay by Andrea Davies

Its a been a long time since I made a blog entry here on ACC, busy working on web design projects and getting under the hood of my Mercedes Pens Art Car for some much needed engine work.
But its great to get back into the game with this amazing Magic Bus, Byron Bay, the world's most colorful double-decker bus that is is now in service. This bus was painted by Andrea Davies also creator of the "wallpaper" Golf featured a while back here on ACC. Thank you for the submission.

Art Parking Garage from Perth Australia

This private parking garage is located at the Condor Tower Car Park in Perth Australia was created by the Perth street art production group Ololo.They approached the construction manager of an inner-city skyscraper when they heard he hated the grey walls of the recently built Condor Tower five-storey car park. The three creative friends – Hurben, Shensing and Griv proposed a far more whimsical and creative solution to the bare walls, by allowing the group and their friends to embellish the interior with street art-inspired murals. Each floor has a theme based on the elemental planes of Earth - Space, Sky, Land, Underwater and Core; with both local and inter-state artists coming together to fill the space with color. Participating street artist ‘Creepy’ hopes the project will encourage similar ventures between urban developers and the creative community within Perth.
article via

Alien Ship Invades Bondi Beach Australia

This Alien Ship art car was spotted on Bondi Beach Australia. We know very little about whether or not this a "Real" alien invasion down under. By the looks of it there should be alien abduction stories coming any day now. Cheers.

Quilted Art Car from Down Under

This Quilted Art Car was created by a group 30 crafty women from Queensland's quilting community, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a quilt exhibition. This is the kind of car you can get cozy with on cold winter nights. The paint job will last forever and you don't have to worry about finding your car in the mall.

via

Really Realy Really Big Fin Art Car

I don't know what on earth this is, but this really really really big huge mother ship connection single biggest fin I have ever seen on a car is........AWESOME!!!!!!! If I had this car I would drive it every day and sometimes twice a day just to freak people out. My daughter S. says it looks like the wall of death. I anyone knows anything about this car please let me know I would love to give credit to the artist that created this work art.