(Photos: PD Rearick) I often incorrectly say “Now I’ve seen everything”, because just as soon as those words go flying out of my mouth, something comes along that requires me to taste the bottom of my Merrill boots yet again. This week’s case: an artist created a full-scale 1979 Lincoln Mark V out of cardboard. I don’t pretend to understand art for one second, yet this I kind of get. The artist, Shannon Goff, is out of Detroit and whether by interest or sheer saturation of the environment, has a grasp on the automotive world that evades most artists. The creation, dubbed “Miles to Empty”, is based on the 1979 Mark V that her grandfather owned and while you are free to your own interpretation of what is going on here, we will just note how involved of a task this was for Shannon: this is an automobile that was nineteen feet long, six and a half feet wide, and not quite five feet tall, full of details that catch the eye, from the waterfall grille to the hidden Lincoln emblems found in the corner lights.
According to Goff, “I had considered making it the color of my grandfather’s, but in the end I decided white was perfect. It’s forlorn and forgotten, a ghost rider of sorts. It’s about memory and loss and is ultimately a memorial to my grandfather and to the city of Detroit.” “Miles to Empty” will be on display at the Susanne Hilberry Gallery in Ferndale, Michigan from now through November 14th, 2015.
That’s amazing! If it weren’t for the personal connection I’d be tempted to make contact and ask for the sale price once it leaves the art gallery.
Great cars. Last big ones from Detroit. I bet Lincoln wouldn’t be thought of the way it is if they still had balls enough to make them similar to this today. Or its some bullshit about the fall of Detroit.
So that’s why its called CARdboard….