wheeling in the years

by Henk van Setten

"This experimental exhibition aims at catching 1960s boyhood experiences and anxieties in an unusual way.

It uses the well-known 'found footage' method to create (or reveal) a new coherence. But instead of a random selection of ordinary family photos, here are only commercial photos, all of which were taken from 1960s car brochures."

"In these automobile brochure photos, the focus was of course on the car; parents and children being added as a suggestive decoration. This exposition presents these photos (without altering them) in such a context, that the focus is shifted to where it was not intended to be.

In a Foucaultian sense, this use of this source does uncover a hidden discourse. This is not only the fairly evident discourse of common family values, parental attitutes, ideals of boyhood and manliness, that were nonverbally represented in such commercial brochures. At a deeper level, this is also a discourse of how to handle, cope with, or even deny one's feelings, worries and anxieties."

"To each photo I added a contrasting, manipulative "memory" comment. These comments, together with the unreal omnipresence of cars as recurring elements in each photo, cause an alienating effect that may help to see these photos in a new way: not just as 1960s time documents, but also as emotional icons."

Take a ride in Henk's exhibition: The Wheels of Memory

Sources
Image material scanned from BMW, Citroën, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, Goggomobil, Mercedes-Benz, NSU, Renault, Saab, Simca, Studebaker, Skoda, Trabant, Triumph, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, and Wartburg sales brochures (1960-1969).

Author
This exhibit was compiled by Henk van Setten, associate professor for History of Education and Childhood at Nijmegen University in the Netherlands.