The Automobile

This lecture, by two brothers who have been obsessed with cars since childhood, is an exercise in the psychoanalysis of automobiles, beginning with a picture of their father’s car and taking the audience on a journey through western and eastern Europe, Asia, and the United States. They not only show the impact of political ideologies on car design, but also how the brains of automotive CEOs and chief designers, the forces of nature, as well as war and death impact the spiritual identity of cars. Finally, they analyze the identity of cars as an autonomous species and investigate their impact on the objects and people surrounding them. A new installation and film by Harald Thys & Jos de Gruyter is on view at KW Institute for Contemporary Art as part of the 5th berlin biennial.