![The spring art independent study class focused on designing and executing an art car for Houston’s Art Car Parade May 22.]( "art_car2")
The spring art independent study class focused on designing and executing an art car for Houston’s Art Car Parade May 22. Photo by Roman Rama III: The Signal.
Students’ art car project draws inspiration from Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’
Jessica O’Rear
The Signal
What is art? This is a question that many artists ask themselves. Is art classified with set-in-stone rules and regulations, or can anything be art based on the opinion and eye of the viewer?
That’s also the question the UHCL art department addresses with its new Art Car class, offered to students for the first time this semester. The art car, titled “Fountain” and shaped like an upside-down urinal, is designed to resemble a ready-made sculpture by artist Marcel Duchamp.
Jason Makepeace, lecturer in art, has had a long-time interest in establishing an art car class after creating an art car years ago.
“In my past 9 to 10 years here at UHCL as the sculpture instructor, I always thought designing an art car and participating in the parade would be a great class,” Makepeace said. “Over the past two years, the course really began to take shape. With the support of HSH and the Office of University Advancement, I was able to get this class off the ground. Dean, associate dean, fellow art faculty and my division chair Deborah Griffin were very supportive.”
The class was provided with a Toyota Corolla, donated by AutoNation thanks to the efforts of Elbby Antony, associate director of development for the president’s cabinet in the Office of University Advancement. The group began brainstorming a design theme the first day of the semester and students voted to narrow down their top five ideas based on feasibility.
“We had a few different project ideas at the beginning,” said Angela Zesiger, art major and student in the art car class. “At first we were working with a playground idea, but we decided the car wouldn’t be big enough. With people swinging on it and all of the motion, we knew it wouldn’t work. We also considered creating a pirate ship. In the end, we wanted to focus more on art and what makes art. Marcel Duchamp was the turning point of conceptual art – he was the ‘Father of Conceptualism.’”
![Duchamp’s “Fountain” inspired art car, a work in progress.]( "art_car3")
Duchamp’s “Fountain” inspired art car, a work in progress. Photo by Roman Rama III: The Signal.
The art car students agreed to base the car’s design on the creations of Marcel Duchamp, an artist who challenged traditional views and premises of art. Duchamp is known for his “ready-made” works – common man-made objects that he selected and modified – as a remedy to what he named “retinal art,” or art that is only visual.
In 1917, Duchamp tested the waters of the art world by submitting a unique piece to a jury-free Society of Independent Artists exhibition, which claimed all submissions would be displayed.
To challenge the show’s open invitation, Duchamp purchased a urinal from J. L. Mott Iron Works in New York, turned the porcelain throne upside down and signed “R. Mutt, 1917” across the front. He named it “Fountain” and entered the piece into the exhibition. Duchamp believed that by taking items and then repositioning and signing them, he had created art. The entry was ultimately rejected from the show.
“As artists in the construction of our UHCL art car, we see a parallel to the ‘Fountain’ and agree with this statement: ‘Whether Mr. Mutt with his own hands made the ‘Fountain’ or not has no importance. He CHOSE it. He took an ordinary article of life and placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of view – creating a new thought for that object,’” said the class in a collaborated statement.
The group faced a few trials along the way. One of their biggest challenges was the size of the car. Most students didn’t have any experience with art car design prior to the course, requiring a lot of work time outside of the classroom.
“We didn’t know if the car’s suspension would support the frame,” Shaw said. “We had to do a lot of research on the Internet to make sure it could hold the weight. The car itself was also a challenge. We tried to figure out what to remove and we were careful with what we cut off. A few times we had to go back and add more support after we cut too much off. We had no precedent … we had to use Jason’s knowledge to get the project going.”
The group plans to display their finished product May 22, 1-3 p.m., at the international 2011 Art Car Parade produced by the Orange Show, a nonprofit art foundation.
“I plan to offer this course every spring semester and participate in the annual Houston Art Car Parade from this point forward,” Makepeace said. “I could not have asked for such an experimental course to function as well as it has. The energy of the students is great, and I cannot wait until we run in this year’s parade and listen to the response from the people attending the parade.”
The Orange Show website states that the Art Car Weekend draws more than 200,000 spectators and displays hundreds of movable works of art produced by mechanics, students and artists, among other groups. For more information about the Orange Show or the Art Car Parade, visit http://www.orangeshow.org/art-car/.
![Painting of Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” by Jason Makepeace]( "art_car1")
Painting of Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” by Jason Makepeace, lecturer in art. Photo by Roman Rama III: The Signal.
