Metropolis II: Chris Burden's Elaborate "Portrait of L.A." (with Hot Wheels)

Previous Article Next Article

Patrick James
Writer / Former GOOD Managing Editor

December 2, 2010 • 2:30 pm PST
+ responses

The artist Chris Burden might be better known for putting his body through hell than for building complex interconnected systems, but his mechanical sculpture work has quite a history. His new work, Metropolis II, is an elaborate interconnected system of tracks for some 1,200 Hot Wheels cars. The noise is impressive.

00:00/00:0000:00

If you're in Los Angeles, you'll be able to see Metropolis II at LACMA, though it apparently takes a few months to install it.

Via Kottke

Posted in: GOOD Blog,; Culture,; Design,; News

Tags: design,; culture,; art,; transportation,; cars,; infrastructure,; transportation innovation,; chris burden,; metropolis ii,; hot wheels

More GOOD stuff

Slideshow: Jen Davis's Intimate, Thought-Provoking Self-Portraits

Burden Of Proof

Constance: Delicate Burdens

+ responses

Comments via GOOD

Join or sign in to comment…

Comments loading

via Twitter

No Tweets

Sponsored by University of PhoenixRelated posts

News
The Burden of PTSD: An Ongoing Conversation
Perhaps you've heard: PTSD among veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is a huge problem and we might not have the resources to...
by Matthew Newton +
Environment
Keeping the Electric Vehicle Burden in Perspective
Critics of electric vehicles often point out that the cars will consume a lot of electricity, which will come at a high cost to consumers. But a...
by Patrick James 4
Culture
Remember GeoCities? Explore a Map of the Vintage Internet Metropolis
Feed your late-'90s internet nostalgia with a data visualization of the GeoCities universe
by Zak Stone +
GOOD Blog
Intermission: Mesmerizing Stop-motion Paper Animation in Rob Carter's Metropolis
Rob Carter's film Metropolis charts the evolution of Charlotte, North Carolina, through incredible stop-motion paper animation. Have a look at an...
by Patrick James +
News
Democratic Fashion, Part II
From our continuing series of real-world encounters at the DNC: We came across this besocked fellow at a Time magazine breakfast this morning. In...
by Zach Frechette +
Cities
Fixing Urban Biking's White Bias, Part II
Urban biking may be on the rise but white cyclists dramatically outnumber cyclists of color, and far more men than women hop on bikes each day.
by April Streeter +
Culture
Can Pope John Paul II Still Become a Saint?
There are new charges that Pope John Paul II's Vatican tried to cover up sexual abuse in Ireland. Will they affect his shot at sainthood?
by Cord Jefferson +
Business
Diary of a Social Venture Start-up: Design and Branding, Part II
Last time around, we talked about the importance of design and branding. In that article, I put out the call for suggestions. I...
by Joe Ippolito +
Environment
World War II Propaganda Posters for Reducing Our Carbon Footprints
When the United States of America became embroiled in the conflict of the second World War, the economic situation in the country was still pretty...
by Patrick James +
Culture
Photos: 99 Portraits for the 99 Percent
The OWS encampment may be gone, but the protest’s legacy lives on across New York City. Click through to see 99 Photos for the 99 Percent.
by Steven Greaves +
Education
Intermission: School Portraits
And you thought your school photo experience was traumatic.
by Nina Lincoff +
Design
Action Sheet: Portrait of a Volunteer
How often do you volunteer? We're seeing a 30-year high in volunteering right now. That's great news. As a nation, we're more engaged than ever....
by GOOD, MCAD DesignWorks +
Culture
Faces: 100 Portraits by 100 Photographers
Andy Adams and Larissa LeClair are the people behind 100 Portraits, a selection of 100 portraits by 100 photographers at all stages of their careers.
by Patrick James +
Culture
The L.A. Times is Dead. Long Live the L.A. Times
David A. Greene examines the life, near-death, and uncertain future of America’s greatest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi.
by David A. Greene +
A Portrait of Advertising by a Young Man
Doug Pray's new documentary, Art and Copy, chronicles the evolution of creative advertising by exploring connections between great art and great...
by Patrick James +
Cities
Amazing Audio Portraits of New Yorkers
I strongly urge to check out The New York Times fascinating and moving audio/photo series called "One in 8 Million," focused on some of the more...
by Morgan Clendaniel +
Culture
Bicycle Portraits: Everyday South Africans and Their Bikes
Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler are the creators of Bicycle Portraits, a regularly updated project to photograph people and their bikes around...
by Patrick James 2
Culture
Image of the Day: Collin Chillag's Hyperreal Portraits
The artist Collin Chillag takes portraiture to a disconcertingly pretty place.
by Patrick James +
Design
GOOD Design Daily: Portrait of a Particle Accelerator
Artist Josef Kristofoletti painted a life-sized mural of the seven-ton particle accelerator at the Large Hadron Collider.
by Alissa Walker +
Cities
The Eyes of the Storm: Lee Crum's Portraits of New Orleanians
by GOOD +