Project Proposal

In today’s ever increasing multi-media society it seems we are having to perform and put on an "act" so to speak, more and more. As the mediative form is growing and adapting it is encompassing more and more of our lives, from checking our E-mails, to recording a television program and editing it at the touch of a button. Not only is this on a personal level for you and me, but also on a far larger economical and industrial level. As communication technology develops major industries will be the first to benefit. This benefit for them however will of course effect us; technology tends to have a knock-on affect.

One major result of this knock-on effect, is competition, or in this case, industrial rivalry. And this is demonstrated perfectly in the motor industry. For over a hundred years now the internal combustion engine has been the bedrock for mass transportation. Cars, Lorries, tractors, ships, trains all utilize it. In fact the only transport medium that doesn't utilize it in a big way is modern air travel. So important was this invention that manufacturers have endeavoured to improve and develop it ever since.

For this project my hope is to analyse the current automotive world from a performative perspective. We see performance in practically every aspect of this world. For instance, car adverts are performances to show off a car and attract our attention. Car manufacturers attempt to out-do each other when building a car, be it with technology or economy. This, in its way is a performance to gain customers. And arguably cars themselves can perform. Either aesthetically, technologically, or literally as far as the engine is concerned.

This blog will be my workbook so to speak, displaying relevant material and arguments I have discovered. It will also be my grounding for a practical piece on the topic in hand. This piece will take the form of a documentary analysing both the car world but also commonly held opinions and thoughts of myself and others.