Jia Jia Chen, Dream my Monaro, 2020, Dream Factory, Holden
Summary
This work was based on a 1/18 car model of the Holden Monaro GTS HQ purchased from Metro Hobbies, 3D scanned by Thing Lab and scaled up at 2.5 times and CNC routed in polystyrene by Kaber.
Artist statement
The personalisation of factory ‘readymades’ into vehicles of individual expression provides an interesting design intervention that shifts the standard consumer/manufacturer relationship into a creative exchange. This car is both a homage to those dedicated people who have lovingly embellished their cars, and an envisioning of my own ‘dream machine’ fabrication.
As a ceramicist I have always been fascinated by the clay modelling of cars to visualise design in 3D form. Clay modelling involves working with the surface and utilising the hands as the primary tool for sculpting: it’s the site where all the design data is collected and produced and when the design of the car becomes a reality. This act of adding a ‘surface’ to a body is not dissimilar to glazing in ceramics where the clay body is coated with a glassy mixture to create the final exterior finish. The glaze beads used here are composed of nepheline syenite and cobalt carbonate, which is the colourant used in the ‘Blue and White’ porcelain wares from China. The car is a romantic fusion between the iconic ‘China’ of my heritage and the Holden Monaro.
Jia Jia Chen
