Art And Photograhy Essay, Research Paper
in this paper I intend to introduce to the reader, the aims and objectives
which will hopefully set the foundations to the arguments which will be raised
in, the cultural biography of the Volkswagen.
I shall be predominantly observing the Volkswagen beetle in my research,
although, parallels will be drawn by also including the Volkswagen combi which
I believe will help demonstrate and strengthen my overall approach.
We need to understand that the beetle is primarily an object which has been
produced for a specific function to be consumed as a commodity and therefore
has an exchange value associated with it, albeit on a varying scale depending
on its cultural status at the time. The meaning of this consumer item will be
looked at in depth and about the place this thing and its meanings have
within society. This is an interesting aspect as the beetles cultural status
and exchange value have fluctuated along its historical timeline. The question
of meaning raises numerous questions ? which will be largely presented
through a discussion of semiotics ? about the relations between needs and
objects, nature and culture, meaning and social usage.
In producing a biography of a thing, ie. the Volkswagen beetle combi we need
to approach it in a way similar to that of composing a biography of a person.
We need to ask questions such as, where does the thing come from and who made
it? What has been its career so far, and what do people consider to be an
ideal career for such a thing? What are the recognized “ages? or periods in
the things “life “,and what are the cultural markers for them? How does the
things use change with its age, and what happens to it when it reaches the end
of its usefulness.
Today the beetle, for most people has lost its status as a purely functional
object and has changed into an object full of signs and myths that allude to a
way of life giving the vehicle a certain status within society. We shall be
looking at questions such as who and why would somebody buy a Volkswagen and
what it says about them. And we shall be raising issues like form over
function and when this becomes apparent.
when we look in a historical context of where the beetle came from it is
interesting to note that it came from Hitlers idea of producing a vehicle for
the masses. Volkswagen when translated, becomes “folks wagon” or peoples car
and it is significant that a car that was designed for the masses to unify
and subordinate them into conformity would later on become an expression of
individuality and a symbol of freedom and rebellion.
Hitler wanted to bring to the German people the same freedom of mobility
enjoyed by Henry Ford’s millions of American car owners: hence the term
volkswagen or people’s car. The first production model in 1937 was powered by
an air-cooled engine with the characteristic aerodynamically efficient beetle
shape which added to the little car’s 40 miles per gallon fuel economy.
After WWII production resumed and the first beetles reached the U.S. and
europe in 1949. By the mid 1990’s over 22 million of the original design had
been produced.
The car was affordable transportation for the masses. With its original
purchase price of $200 the VW was, like Ford’s Model-T, quite literally “the
People’s car”. What made it inexpensive to produce was its obvious small size.
What made it also inexpensive to maintain was the high mileage, air-cooled
engine. The conventional water cooled engine requires the additional weight,
expense and maintenance of pump, hoses and radiator. With minimal changes over
the years in body shape or internal structure, the car was endlessly
repairable since parts remained more or less the same, and VW could therefore
capitalize on the long life of its production tooling.
In a sense the VW was a modernist statement which rejected any frills or
decoration that might be superfluous to the car’s basic function. It
demonstrated good workmanship throughout. The basic reliable and easy to
maintain engine was purely functional as was the total design of the car.
Even six foot tall drivers found plenty of head room in the tiny interior.
Beetle Social Factors. By rejecting the American ethos of both the planned
obsolescence through annual model changes and also the excesses of conspicuous
consumption, the homely bug came to represent a 60’s counter culture . It was
indeed the “people’s car” by providing on an international scale affordable
transportation for low income earners. Moreover, the bug was practical in its
simplicity, small size, and durability which endeared it to its loving public.
Interestingly Volkswagen’s advertising was one of the first instances of a
major corporation setting out to market a technology on the basis of its
social virtues. By informing the public of its environmental green-ness ie
small efficient engine equals less fuel intake, Volkswagen was already one
step ahead of its competitors during the mid 70s oil crisis.
It became the antithesis of the big, flashy American car. This little economic
car was the best-selling car in automotive history. A truly international
phenomenon, the German Volkswagen’s efficiency, ease of driving, and simple
design provided millions with basic, cheap, and reliable transportation. It’s
easily recognizable shape dotted the landscape from New York to Paris to
Berlin and beyond, and became an icon for a generation in the 1960s and 1970s.
when you choose to purchase a Volkswagen you are immediately making a
statement about yourself and the lifestyle you aspire towards.Choice also
reflects values. The person who drives a tomato red 1971 Volkswagen until rust
leaves nothing for the floorboards to cling to is making a statement about how
she wants to spend her money and what she cares about. We say, ?That dress
isn?t me? or ?I?m not a cat person.? In choosing, you indicate what matters to
you and how you perceive yourself. Looking at it from barthes perspective, we
could say that, we are not just purchasing the aspirational lifestyle but we
are buying into the myth. This myth has constantly changed along the
Volkswagen historical timeline. To the German public in 1939, the Volkswagen
represented and reflected the Nazi ideals of conformity and equality and the
myth was that this car could unify the people through mass production at an
economical price. yet, today we can see that the beetle is a personal
statement purporting the myth that the car is a signifier of freedom and
individuality. We need to investigate what this signifier means and how and
why the meaning can change. It will be interesting to discover why people
today continue to buy used Volkswagens and why is there such a devoted
following. Today the beetle, when we compare it to other vehicles, lacks even
basic comforts such as heating, gives very poor crash protection, is
uneconomical to run and maintain yet is loved and cherished by millions of
owners worldwide.
We shall look at surveys of Volkswagen owners to decide what it is about the
car that makes it so unique. Why is the Volkswagen considered to be ?fun,
practical, reliable and full of charm and character?? How does this myth
become established? Do people by the car so as to obtain a certain lifestyle?
So that they can be perceived as being ?fun, quirky and individual??and how
it has come to attain a cult- like status whereby the meaning or sign of the
car has been superseded by its own myth.
Finally, I shall be concluding the cultural biography of Volkswagen, with a
personal reference, detailing my own experiences with a Volkswagen
traveling 25,000 miles around Australia living in the vehicle over a one year
period. What My perceived expectations were and how they changed the longer
the relationship between myself and the vehicle lasted. I shall be describing
how the vehicle can obtain a character either through innate design or
personal interactions and its own in-built idiosyncratic attributes. Was a
vehicle part of the lifestyle or was the lifestyle part of the vehicle?
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Chapter 21, Page 508: Pop art and Europe?s New Realism
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