The first thing you need to understand is that my next-door neighbours engage in nefarious and not-precisely-legal activities. As a result, our shared driveway is often the site for disruptive shenanigans at all hours of the day and night, but especially at night. Peak shenanigans were reached in February, when someone abandoned a stolen PT Cruiser convertible and lit it on fire in the driveway. It was, at the time, incredibly scary. And then, when the Police appeared to leave the burnt-out car there, blocking access, it became funny. I began referring to it as an art installation. And, as is my duty as a curator, originally of art, I created a didactic label for it. What else could I do?
Partially Torched, 2022 Anonymous
Mixed media, PT Cruiser
Partially Torched is a metaphor for two years of urban crisis during a pandemic. Emblematic of municipal window dressing, the car depicts atavistic style over function, the charred hood masking the health crisis beneath. The blackened, smashed windshield calls out racially motivated violence, poorly contained, yet defined by police action represented by the forgotten police tape. Juxtaposed against the residential homes of Old East Village, this installation invites both critical appraisal of London's visible systemic imbalances and a gesture toward the wry irony that nothing ever changes.
After two days, the car was finally taken away, so all exhibition plans were cancelled.
The original post was on Twitter, then shared to Instagram. You can view the Insta post at this link.
Here's the original Tweet thread about the car:
There's a car on fire in my driveway. So how's your night going?
— Maya H. (@mambolica) February 24, 2022
