Karlsruhe: Whimsy drives automobile-as-art exhibit
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When Karl Benz invented the gasoline-powered automobile 125 years ago, he probably knew he was onto something big.
But did the automotive trailblazer envision just how much his modest three-wheel machine would evolve over the years? Did he foresee the automobile as art?
Maybe not. However, the Center for Art and Media Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany — Benz’s place of birth — has done exactly that: transformed the automobile into art.
Benz’s world-changing invention is being celebrated throughout the summer in car-crazy Baden-Württemberg state. There are special events and exhibitions on tap across the region that is home to both Daimler and Porsche world headquarters.
The strangest special event could be the “Car Culture” exhibition in Karlsruhe. The exhibit, which opened in June and will continue until early January, is nothing short of bizarre.
Where else could one see a car with a big, illuminated brain hanging over it? Or a car with a weed garden planted inside?
Here’s the center’s official explanation for this high-minded collection: “The show’s thematic content covers the automobile as cult object and symbol of individual freedom as well as the technological advance that first made possible the mobility of information.”
Now that didn’t help me understand why someone would fill the interior of a perfectly good Mercedes with a thick, oil-like liquid, or cover an old Rolls Royce with stuffed animals. It was all beyond me. That still didn’t take away from the fun of looking at this collection of wildly imaginative works of art.
Yet, if auto art isn’t your thing, the center — it’s Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, in German — is still worth a visit. There is plenty to see.
It has a contemporary art museum complete with 7,000 square meters of space full of paintings and sculptures. It also features a media museum dedicated to interactive art and exploring ideas, such as virtual reality. There’s also a pretty good collection of video games old and new, including the original Pacman.
If you’re into cars or art, at the Center for Art and Media Technology you’re bound to get your fill of both.
On the QT
Directions
Karlsruhe, Germany, is located about halfway between Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart. Coming from the north, take the A6 south and merge onto the A61. Take exit 61 and merge onto the A65 toward Landau. Continue onto the B-10 and head for Karlsruhe. From Stuttgart, take the A8 heading north. Take exit 41 onto the A5 and then take exit 45 for Karlsruhe. Merge onto the B-10 and take exit 2 for downtown.
Costs
Entrance to the “Car Culture” exhibit is 5 euros and includes access to the contemporary art section of the media museum. Access to the media museum also is 5 euros. A combination ticket can be purchased for 8 euros. Tickets for children are 2 euros for each museum or 3 euros for a combination ticket.
Times
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Food
The museum has a restaurant and coffee shop. Other eateries are within walking distance.
Information
GPS address: Lorenzstraße 19
76135 Karlsruhe
Telephone: 0721-81001200
Internet: www.zkm.de
