Ruben Ortiz Torres: High n’ Low Rider
Title:
High n’ Low Rider
Artist(s) and People Involved:
Exhibiting Artist(s):
Symposium:
Venue(s):
Medium:
Chromogenic urethane, metal flake, hydraulics, batteries, steel, aluminum, mechanical parts from scissor lift
Size:
32'
Artist Statement:
Building upon the tradition of modifying production automobiles into rolling, dancing sculpture with sound systems, Ruben Ortiz-Torres has modified a commercially produced scissor lift used to elevate workers, into a lowrider that also goes high. With a digitally designed front grill, chromed hydraulic system, customized sound track, and an upper basket that spins, tilts, and lifts off its base, the sculpture is a 32-foot-tall, automatic, adjustable, contemporary tribute to Constantin Brancusi’s Endless column, Egyptian obelisks, and memorial columns through the ages.
