White Heat

Burnt out car, lights, plexiglass / Installation view / 2004

A burnt out car is parked on a side street with all its windows brightly illuminated. Despite being real, the scene is meant to be fictional. It is depicting the moment after a car has ceased burning, while its interior has reached an insanely hot temperature known as “white heat.” In its installation in the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, a large photograph depicting the scene is shown with the actual car, which was meticulously burnt over the course of months to give it the appearance of having reached such a high burning temperature.