“An average car is stationary 95% of its time, but when just one is parked upside-down, that gets noticed…”. Micheál O’Connell LG on the public’s response.
One work of mine, entitled Car Parked, a readymade, or sculptural piece if you like, became a focal point of System Interference, an exhibition which toured the Republic of Ireland from September 2022 to February of this year (2024).
To provide some background, in the two-year period prior to System Interference, an Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon Commissions Award made the ‘production’ of a new series, consisting of thirty-ish different items possible. Production is in quotes because I have an aversion – and this is nothing original, perhaps even a time-honoured-tradition now – to making anything, favouring appropriation where that is possible, or simply pointing at what there already is in the world. The exhibition was presented with some variations for about six weeks in each of three major regional centres, Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre (responsible for initiating this project and offering a series of residencies), Wexford Arts Centre, and Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, thanks to an additional Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon Touring Award. Also, Philosopher of aesthetics John Roberts, discussed the work and approaches in a new book: Art, Misuse and Technology, published by Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in 2022. The writing addresses, amongst other things, ‘the critical demands required to being a technical-literate artist’ today’.
Car Parked consisted of a used Toyota Yaris which was carefully parked just outside each of the three venues in question, but importantly, upside-down. According to ChatGPT (with a little help from myself, because the thing is prone not only to waffling, but to lying convincingly) this constituted,
‘a jarring sight in public spaces typically associated with order and routine. By presenting a familiar object in such an unconventional way, Mocksim [the moniker I often use] sought to disrupt the ordinary, provoking varied responses and engaging the public in debates about the boundaries of art, societal norms, and urban life.’
The Large Language Model’s analysis here seems agreeable. Reactions from ‘the public’, other artists, and interested parties varied. Many found the car amusing, though there was an uncanny quality to its presentation, so that at first glance the piece might be mistaken for a road incident of some sort. Quite quickly, in all three locations it would become obvious to most passers-by and visitors that this was not the scene of such. We had consciously positioned the car neatly in relation to art centre entrances and swept up any inevitable fragments of glass arising from the turning operation. A small, but at first slightly more vociferous, minority, did claim that the work was ‘triggering’ in its association with road traffic accidents. In one case the Gardaí (Irish police) were called, only to be met with the response that nothing would be done, and that ‘It’s art!’. This infuriated the complainant even more, which they let staff working at the art centre’s reception know. Needless to say, technical leads and curators in all three centres defended the placing of the work, having participated in discussions connected with risk, impact and the curation. The local police force’s endorsement is both an indication of more enlightened attitudes today than might have been expected historically, and was helpful in another way, in that a second, tired kind of criticism, from certain quarters, was that this piece was not, and could not be, art. That rebuff has been a recurring factor whenever I have had work exhibited, dating back to another car-oriented exhibition in 2010, in fact: Contra-Invention. At first, the trad/cool photography crowd were appalled at what was on display, but then, amusingly, the thing ended up being longlisted for Europe’s most prestigious photography prize in 2011. Another fraction still, more interested and knowing of their art history perhaps (or skilled at searching on Google?) were happy for the piece to be designated ‘art’ but liked to remind us that the use of cars, and even upturned ones, was not completely novel. It should be stressed that the bulk of conversations with those who saw the work and/or entered the exhibition were cordial.
Arguably there’s something of Viktor Shklovsky’s concept of defamiliarization (or estrangement) with this and other materials exhibited. Cars are parked everywhere; Skibbereen where the first exhibition took place is, in fact, awash with car parks; statistics show that an average car is stationary 95% of its time, but when just one is parked upside-down, that gets noticed and even causes consternation in certain departments.
The history of slapstick and clowning and its relation with avant-garde practices is perhaps something to draw upon here as well. Early twentieth century Constructivists, as well as being engrossed with the new industrialism, were fascinated with Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and others’ engagement and lampooning of the machinic infrastructures. Sketches involving motor cars – which operated as a moving platform or wonky stage – were central to many of these films. To this day the car chase in movies is a source of drama, and always has comedic associations.
Car transport may be crucial and also play less obvious but important roles in people’s lives, and offer liberation of a sort, but, on the other hand, the roads are dangerous, and often lethal zones. 1.35 million people a year still die in traffic accidents globally and that’s not to mention the serious injuries, loss, trauma and secondary impacts of crashes, as well as pollution, sprawl, the lack of exercise it encourages, and other negative effects on health. For sure the work in question (height 153cm, width 170cm, length 375cm) was visible in the public space, outside the walls of the White Cube, and therefore sensitivity of a particular sort was necessary (in my view). If, however, Car Parked provoked contemplation and conversation on the various absurdities, including the seeming acceptance of high risks on the roads, then so be it. As it happens, I was told that, at one point, the Gardaí had placed car wrecks deliberately in the proximity of a college in Cork City, to remind ‘boy-racers’ and similar about the dangers whilst driving. As another aside, it is odd that those, mainly ‘keyboard warriors’, who wanted immediate action and the art-work’s removal, would overlook the ubiquitous depictions of a semi-clad figure, nailed to two wooden planks, his torso pierced for good measure (known as the ‘five holy wounds’ with no pun intended), slowly suffocating, which still dot the landscape and can be seen inside and outside of churches. I would not want these crucial cultural totems, a frequent subject in fine art too, which point to a recent-enough history, to be censored, but are they not, as well as being arguably erotic, explicitly violent, encouraging of self-sacrifice and suicide? Perhaps images of Christ on the cross, at the very least, merit an age restriction 
In terms of its originality, and whether that matters, the work stood apart firstly presumably due to its specific cultural and geographical context. The Yaris, a practical and familiar vehicle, was a deliberate choice. A concern was that it might overshadow other pieces in the exhibition but the vehicle’s location close enough to art centre entrances meant that the bond with the remaining work was maintained. Part of the intention with the show as a whole was that material extended beyond the physicality of the gallery spaces, both digitally – specific materials were available online only – and literally, with objects on roofs and adjacent stairwells, and events organised to bring non-art conversations and activities into the exhibition. No artist worth their salt can sidestep the continuing necessity for ‘Institutional Critique’ but along with that I am interested in advocating for the seeming opposite, an ‘Institutional Defence’. Frameworks within the art system and beyond it – think of public libraries, say – which permit critically engaged cultural activity to continue, against a sometimes-reactionary backdrop, are not to be dismissed. So, ‘staying with the trouble’ and managing the paradox of putting work inside the gallery but letting it seep out, was an important aspect of the Systems Interference tour.
In the absence of Irish art collectors, or Charles Saatchi or rich oligarchs, stepping in, Car Parked was eventually sold to a delighted Damien in Ballyjamesduff (via DoneDeal.ie) for €95.
Micheál O’Connell / MOCKSIM 2024
www.mocksim.org/works/car_parked
A lot more could be said – there are numerous other stories – but for your pleasure, have some data and some links:
Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre (17/9/22-26/10/22)
They recorded 4037 visitors over 6 weeks, 97 attending the opening event, and 327 on Culture-Night Ireland 2022. Four school workshops were held and 36 attended a political panel to which I invited a Senator, a TD (Irish MP) and three others.
- Review by Mark Sheerin, Criticismism ii
- Example Facebook post (with 32 comments at the time of writing)
- Example Facebook, media platform ‘Cork Beo’ post (with 94 comments at the time of writing)
- Comments Book
- Footage of car being turned
- John Robert’s book (open access version)
- Car Parked, own web page
- Earlier research
Wexford Arts Centre (21/8/23-6/10/23)
The show attracted 3500 visitors, included a gallery conversation with renowned folklorist Michael Fortune, and 200 on Culture-Night 2023. Months after the exhibition finished, one of the Clonroche Traveller-Community girls let the Wexford centre director know how impressed they were with the show.
- South East Radio interview
- Irish Independent article
- TikTok footage that went viral-ish
- Own Facebook post (with 56 comments at the time of writing)
- Wexford Arts Centre Facebook post (with 69 comments at the time of writing)
- Wexford People Facebook post (with 255 comments at the time of writing)
- Comments Book
Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda (25/11/23-17/2/24)
The gallery recorded 2200 visitors, 134 at paid events over 55 Days, registered 8 local press articles, and over 200000 online impressions.