Ines Tartler (DE)

Auto Garage: The Golden Garage Service 2009

Auto Garage: The Golden Garage Service 2009 is a public art project by Ines Tartler (DE) which took place in Auckland, New Zealand in May 2009. Berlin-based Tartler presented the project with the aid of a team of Golden Garage Service Attendants especially recruited for the project. During the project members of the public were invited to host a golden car cover on their car while they parked in the public car park at Britomart, in Auckland’s CBD.

The Auto Garage project took place over 11 days; was open to the public for 88 hours; involved the artists, curator and a team of 7 Attendants; resulted in the direct participation of 88 members of the public (many accompanied by their friends and family); and was experienced online by more than 4,000 viewers.

The Auckland project utilised 3 Auto Garages (golden car covers) from a limited edition of 7 Auto Garages. The project was commissioned by Britomart Arts Foundation (Auckland) in partnership with RGCFA Ltd, and curated by Rob Garett. The Auckland work further developed previous Auto Garageprojects by the artist in Berlin, Germany (2004) and Middlesbrough, UK (2005) with the addition of its unique public participation aspect in which car park patrons were offered the opportunity to “host” the Golden Garage art works on their cars.

My themes of interest are the relations and perception of people and their surroundings, as well as the relation between open/visible and closed/hidden space [Ines Tartler]

Ines Tartler
Born 1969, Germany
Studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam (NL)
Lives and works in Berlin

Ines Tartler has exhibited extensively throughout Europe since 1998. Her site-specific projects and installations have occupied public spaces, galleries and museums in Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Japan and now New Zealand. Tartler has received various scholarships including from Senatsverwaltung Berlin (Germany), Emma Ricklund Foundation (Sweden) and Schloß Plüschow (Germany).

What is Auto Garage?

Auto Garage 2009 is the artist’s first project in the Southern Hemisphere and mark’s Tartler’s debut in New Zealand. Auto Garage 2009 was a re-presentation and further development of Auto Garage 2004 (Berlin, GER) and Auto Garage 2005 (Middlesbrough, GB). In 2004 Tartler draped the gold-coloured lamé car cover (“garage”) over a car parked at the curb side for one night in front of the Oona Gallery (Auguststrasse, Berlin). In 2005 Tartler presented the golden auto garage on a car parked on a building-site at the Middlesbrough Institute of Art (Middlesbrough).

For Auto Garage: The Golden Garage Service 2009, Tartler presented three golden car covers in the Britomart public and valet car park areas with a new public participation component not previously realised by the artist: patrons of the car park were invited (by a pair of attendants) to ‘host’ one of the car covers on their own car while it was parked, and thereby they became part of the Auto Garage concept and project. Each person’s participation was documented and each received a memento of their involvement (including a photograph of them with their car and Auto Garage installed on their car and information about the artist and the project).

Public interaction commenced with a public recruiting call for the ‘Golden Garage Service Attendants.’ The artist and curator agreed on a novel concept for the two attendants who will install each car cover on car park patrons’ cars and act as ‘Ambassadors’ for the project. The project called for the participation of a cross-generational couple to serve as the ‘Golden Garage Service Attendants’: a young woman and an older gentleman.

The project was presented between 5 and 16 May 2009. The Auckland project utilised 3 Auto Garages (golden car covers).

All photographs © Ines Tartler and Rob Garrett.

Artist: Ines Tartler (DE)
Title: Auto Garage: The Golden Garage Service
Date: 2009
Media: Synthetic fabric and live action
Dimensions: Variable
Commissioners: Britomart Arts Foundation and Rob Garrett
Curator: Rob Garrett
Project production and art management: Rob Garrett
Location: Britomart car parks bounded by Commerce, Galway, Gore and Tyler Streets, Auckland CBD, New Zealand
Duration: 11 days (5-16 May 2009)