Autoeater

Autoeater is a large public sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Located in Midtown Atlanta, the sculpture was unveiled in 2017.

Autoeater
Autoeater (2020)
ArtistJulia Venske
Gregor Spänle
Completion dateJune 30, 2017
MediumCarrara marble
Weight32,000 pounds (15,000 kg)
LocationAtlanta, Georgia, United States
Coordinates33°46′54.5″N 84°23′2″W

History

In 2017, Midtown Alliance (a coalition of business and civic leaders in Atlanta)[1] announced that Rockspinner, a 22,000-pound (10,000 kg) sculpture at the intersection of Peachtree Street and 10th Street in Midtown Atlanta, would be removed on April 3,[2] to be relocated to another city.[3][4] Earlier in the year, the alliance took bids for a sculpture that would replace Rockspinner, planning to debut the new piece in the summer.[3] Several months later, on June 30,[1] a replacement sculpture was installed called Autoeater.[5] The sculpture, carved from Carrara marble, depicts a Fiat Panda being consumed by a distorted creature.[6] The sculpture, which weighs 32,000 pounds (15,000 kg), was designed by Julia Venske and Gregor Spänle and created in Italy,[7] being shipped to Atlanta from a marble quarry near Tuscany after its completion.[8] Discussing the thought behind the sculpture, Venske said, “For us, [Atlanta’s] a lot of the traffic and it’s a lot about the forest. But the traffic is just really obvious.”[7] A statement by the Midtown Alliance claims the sculpture “invites comment on Atlanta’s relationship with the automobile in the context of one of the city’s most walkable urban districts.”[5][6] A 2020 article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution claims the piece "also has a suggestive sexual connotation, as if the car — symbol of capitalist might upended to reveal its rarely seen undercarriage — is being enveloped in an enormous prophylactic."[9] The sculpture was slated for removal in Summer 2020, though the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a delay in its removal.[9]

References
  1. Spivak, Caleb J. (June 30, 2017). "[Update] Meet 'Autoeater,' The Replacement For Midtown's Spinning Rock". What Now Atlanta. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  2. Toone, Stephanie (March 30, 2017). "The end is near for the giant, spinning rock in Midtown". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  3. Wells, Myrydd (March 29, 2017). "If you've never spun the giant rock in Midtown, go now". Atlanta. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  4. "Actual Factual Atlanta: Where'd the giant spinning rock in Midtown go?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. July 6, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  5. Kelley, Collin (July 4, 2017). "16-ton 'Autoeater' sculpture installed in Midtown". Atlanta INtown Paper. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  6. Reisigl, Joe (July 11, 2017). "Midtown's Rockspinner has been replaced. Meet Autoeater". Atlanta. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  7. Watts, Gabbie (July 7, 2017). "Aptly Named 'Autoeater' Is Midtown's Newest Public Art Piece". WABE. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  8. "Actual Factual Atlanta: Who made that giant car sculpture in Midtown?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. July 3, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  9. Feaster, Felicia (April 13, 2020). "A drive-by tour of Atlanta's public art". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
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