Suicide Machines
Created by artist Thijs Rijker. They're not machines that help people commit suicide. Instead, they're machines that slowly destroy themselves.
One machine saws into its own structure, until eventually the saws will reach the engine. Another machine pours sand into its gearbox until the gears wear out.
Perhaps it's a metaphor for the planned obsolescence of modern consumer goods, which are designed to break down or wear out sooner rather than later, so that we constantly have to buy new stuff.
One machine saws into its own structure, until eventually the saws will reach the engine. Another machine pours sand into its gearbox until the gears wear out.
Perhaps it's a metaphor for the planned obsolescence of modern consumer goods, which are designed to break down or wear out sooner rather than later, so that we constantly have to buy new stuff.
Comments
Damn! I was hoping the artist was going to be using one, or more, of them.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 10/21/13 at 09:57 AM
As an old car and motorcycle hobbyist, it bugs me that a machine would be built that would actually destroy itself. My philosophy is, "Machinery lasts longer when properly maintained."
Posted by KDP on 10/21/13 at 02:08 PM
Marriage is the worlds oldest "suicide machine". 😝
Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 10/21/13 at 02:18 PM
Is it a artistic commentary on our throwaway culture?
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 10/21/13 at 06:30 PM
Maybe it's a metaphor for modern society, maybe it's a reference to millennia-old attitudes towards our own lives, maybe it's just a gimmick. But they're interesting and fascinating and I like them, so I say they count as art.
BTW, it's "Rijkers", not "Rijker". Although the latter is a real Dutch surname as well; but not his.
BTW, it's "Rijkers", not "Rijker". Although the latter is a real Dutch surname as well; but not his.
Posted by Richard Bos on 10/22/13 at 09:03 AM
This is old news. I had one of these in the 70s. It was called a Chevy Vega !
Posted by Dave on 10/24/13 at 05:20 PM
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Category: Art | Technology | Suicide