Sheet from documentation box 1971

Editor: Here we have Wolf Vostell's "Sheet from documentation box" from an unknown date, at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a black and white photo, seemingly of a concrete car. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see Vostell highlighting the weight and labor of modern life through the materials themselves. Concrete, normally used for building, is here a symbol of the automobile, connecting industrial production and consumer culture. Consider the environmental impact, the extraction and processing involved. Editor: So, it's a commentary on the physical and environmental costs associated with car culture? Curator: Precisely. Vostell uses this stark image to critique the consumption and materiality of everyday objects, challenging the boundaries between art and industrial production. Editor: That's a really interesting point. I never would have thought about the material cost. Curator: Reflecting on the materials opens up new avenues of understanding.