We’ve all been amused by (or at least subjected to) the impromptu road theater of children turning around in the back seat of the car ahead to wave at us (or worse). Although, come to think of it, we probably see that less these days given the heightened awareness toward back-seat passenger restraints — not only do you not want your precious cargo hurtling forward, you don’t want them hurtling forward into you (same goes for dogs, etc.). Trust me, you don’t want to learn about the biomechanics of in-cabin projectiles.

But Phil Patton alerts me to a new form of high-concept road theater about to take place in that nexus of art and traffic, Los Angeles: Superclogger.

Conceived with Providence-based artist and bike mechanic Peter Fuller and developed out of Kyack’s interest in chaos, performance, and the relationship between individual will and collective control, Superclogger will present various puppet shows to drivers caught in afternoon traffic jams from a mobile theater housed in the back of a nondescript white pickup truck. Broadcasting soundtracks discretely to the viewer’s car stereo, Superclogger aims to briefly halt the progression of chaos by temporarily drawing the audience out of the commute experience and placing them within an intimate space of engagement and performance that highlights their own individual presence within the broader structure of the traffic jam.

I think that phrase, “the relationship between individual will and collective control,” well sums up the driving experience these days. This could be the most exciting thing to happen in a white truck on L.A. freeways since, well, you know…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 7:43 am and is filed under Traffic Culture, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.