Autoeater
Autoeater on display in Munich, 2021
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 / 33.781806°N 84.38389°W / 33.781806; -84.38389

Autoeater is a large public sculpture previously located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The sculpture was unveiled in 2017.

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] The sculpture was removed in 2021.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 Wells, Myrydd (March 29, 2017). "If you've never spun the giant rock in Midtown, go now". Atlanta. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. 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. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Kelley, Collin (July 4, 2017). "16-ton 'Autoeater' sculpture installed in Midtown". Atlanta INtown Paper. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Reisigl, Joe (July 11, 2017). "Midtown's Rockspinner has been replaced. Meet Autoeater". Atlanta. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  7. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Feaster, Felicia (April 13, 2020). "A drive-by tour of Atlanta's public art". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ Kennedy, Ginny (July 19, 2021). "Arrivederci, Autoeater: A Sculpture that Started a Conversation". SaportaReport. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
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