Chiswick artists Baroness von Reichardt and her partner Mr Spunky have won a commission to participate in the Art Car Parade.

 

Launched by MTV’s ‘Pimp My Ride’ star – Karen Lauenborg aka ‘Pinky’, the UK’s first ever Art Car Parade will take place in Manchester later this year.

Artists from all over the country have been specially commissioned to transform vehicles into mobile artworks, and create an exciting new kind of festival.

The original concept to bring an Art Car Parade to the UK was conceived by Liz Pugh and John Wassell from Walk the Plank, one of the UK’s leading Arts organisations specialising in outdoor performance. Art Car parades are a huge phenomenon is the USA, with the first, and by far the largest, in Houston with 250 Art Cars on show, attracting over 200,000 spectators annually.

Over 75 submissions were received from artists from across the UK and abroad and
Reichardt and Mr Spunky's proposal ‘The Tiki Love Mobile’ won one of the highest valued commissions.

A tiki is a large carved talisman of humanoid form, common to the Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Ocean. The ‘Tiki Love Mobile’ will be a magical mosaic/ceramic adorned automobile which will be driven by two lovely hula girls that give out messages of love and peace as they drive by.

Delighted to have been given this opportunity to be part of such an interesting and exciting new art adventure Reichardt and Mr Spunky, who are already well known for their mosaic clad Fairlawn Grove home, felt it was only a matter of time before they started to mosaic their own vehicle. Now with funding from the Art Car Parade they will be able to create a truly unique piece of art.

Baroness von Reichardt (aka Carrie Richards) commented,"It is our aim to create a spectacle, which will amaze, entertain and fascinate both from distance and especially on closer inspection. We have always found that the labour intensive craft of mosaic is universally loved and appreciated as a highly accessible art form."

They are now appealing for a car manufacturer to match-fund their commission and provide them with a suitable vehicle. They are looking for any kind of camper vehicle which must be mechanically sound as this piece of moveable art is intended to travel all over the country.

 

May 21, 2007