Cadillac Ranch
Cadillac Ranch is the name of an art installation in Potter County , about three miles west of Amarillo , Texas .
Emergence
In 1974 members of the Ant Farm artist group from San Francisco (Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels) dug ten Cadillacs in a line and at the same angle with the front half in the ground of a corn field west of Amarillo . They date from the year of construction 1948 to 1963 and represent the beginning and the decline of the tail fin models of the 1950s . The angle at which the vehicles are buried should correspond to the slope angle of the pyramids of Giza . They symbolize the freedom that the automobile brought with it, and at the same time the fascination and attraction emanating from the "roadside attractions" along the American highways. The location is directly on historic Route 66 , which is now being replaced by Interstate 40 at this point .
The Cadillac Ranch was sponsored by the helium millionaire and patron Stanley Marsh III, who made the property next to Interstate 40 available to the artist group . Stanley Marsh says the Cadillac Ranch symbolizes "the great escape, the freedom of choice, the opportunity to just run away."
Living work of art
The cars are painted over and over with graffiti and are constantly changing their appearance. Visitors are expressly encouraged to leave their own traces of color. From time to time the wagons are painted over. So they were all white at first, but were also painted pink, blue or black (on the occasion of the death of Doug Michels). However, the overpainting did not usually last 24 hours before new graffiti reappeared.
Transfer
In 1997, a local construction company relocated the Cadillac Ranch from the original corn field approximately 2 miles west to pasture for installation further away from the boundaries of the growing city of Amarillo. The new location is also on Stanley Marsh III's private property, which visitors can enter at any time.
The Cadillac Ranch as part of US and German pop culture
- The Cadillac Ranch can also be found in the Walt Disney and Pixar film Cars , which makes numerous allusions to locations on old Route 66 .
- The Cadillac Ranch has featured in various commercials and music videos.
- The American musician Bruce Springsteen released a track called `` Cadillac Ranch '' on his album The River (album) in 1980 .
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 11 ′ 14 " N , 101 ° 59 ′ 13.44" W.