Art On 4 Wheels
An illuminated metallic fish based on a Nissan Micra, a fire-breathing fire engine named Gladys and a musical milk float … it’s the Blackpool Art Car Parade.
The parade, put together by event company Walk The Plank as part of the town’s Festival of Light, will take place on Sunday 21 October. Although some of the cars appeared at a similar event in manchester in September, the artists concerned have, we are assured, been hard at work adding illuminated elements to their cars to tie in with the resort’s famous attractions.
Debuting at the Blackpool parade will be Andy Hazell’s Halibut Mobile (shown above) an articulated, swimming fish based on a Nissan Micra. “The eyes, gills, mouth and the tail will move in a timed cycle powered by 12 volt motors driven by a secondary alternator and battery. The whole vehicle will be sprayed bright silver, airbrushed with scale outlines and illuminated from within,” we are promised.
Also unveiled for the first time will be Gladys, an ex-army fire engine equipped with “two propane pyrotechnic flame cannons that will generate vertical bursts of flame up to 30ft.”
Other highlights include:
Tiki Love Truck by The Treatment Rooms “A magical mosaic/ceramic adorned automobile, which would be driven by two lovely hula girls who give out messages of love and peace as they drive by.”
Car-bon Miles, a Trabant converted by Jamie McCartney to run on pedal power (complete with Ant Hill Mob-style feet visible underneath)
Tone Float by Jon Large & Spencer H W Marsden: “a milk float transformed into a gentle melodic instrument with its cargo acting as a tuned percussion. The float will have rows of bottles hanging from steel beams in he rear cargo section. Each bottle will have an electronically controlled striking hammer, a contact microphone, a white LED and is filled with liquid. The electrical hammers are controlled by a midi sequencer via a MIDI to voltage converter. When a MIDI mote is sent, the hammer is activated as is the LED, which may be placed within the liquid inside the bottle. The bottles are tuned to pitch by the volume of liquid within. Tone float is the name of the Kraftwerk’s precursor album.”
Stephen Williams’ Snake-oil Sales Van: “inspired by the wagons used by traveling salesmen (snake-oil sales men) in the ‘Wild West’ of America. In the 19th century these wagons were used to transport and sell fake medicines and shoddy goods. This version replaces the pair of horses that would pull the wagon with two Honda C90 motorcycles linked together.”
Car Jack by Frankie Morgan: “Car Jack will adjust to fit any front wheel drive car. Once fixed forward motion of the vehicle makes the robotic figure appear to walk. It has moving legs to each side of a central wheel. It will be built from laminated wood, polished copper and brass brushed alloy.”
Car Jack work in progress:
And Mike Pattinson’s Wooden Car Wouldn’t Go: “a scaled down, completely wooden body of a Rolls Royce convertible over the chassis of an electric golf buggy. Made out of planks of wood and fitted over the golf buggy it will be eye catchingly cute at about 2/3rd size of an actual Rolls Royce.”
Which was based on a combination of this:
And this:
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All great ideas and attempts, needs people like these to keep things interesting.
Car Blog
03/Feb/08, 3:28 pm