An Art Project for Monster Garage.

Some time ago I met Ken Vose. He was writing a series of books for the television show Monster Garage. In them he included Alien Toy and The Garden of Earthly Delights. He asked me to propose a project to the show. On the show they customize cars to do particular unique challenges such as transforming a hot dog cart into a dragster or a Toyota into a mower. I suggested grafting a scissor lift into the bed of a pick up truck so it could be used in a museum to do the lighting or install artwork. The challenge for Jesse James (the famous biker and star of the program) would be to install art and do his antics in a museum. At the same time I was invited by Nato Thompson to participate in the exhibition The Interventionists at Mass Moca. The idea of the show was to “explore the works of artists who intervene in a greater public to bring attention to critical ideas.” This piece would have intervened the museum space with car culture as well as television and popular culture with art. At the same time this artwork would have revealed the work behind the installation of a show. At the end Jesse James did not want to do it. Apparently he wasn’t into the aesthetics and philosophy of “low n’ slow” suggested by hydraulics or being legitimized by a museum did not mean much to him.

These are some of the first sketches of the High n’ Low Rider.