Art And Photograhy Essay, Research Paper

in this paper I intend to introduce to the reader, the aims and objectives

which will hopefully set the foundations to the arguments which will be raised

in, the cultural biography of the Volkswagen.

I shall be predominantly observing the Volkswagen beetle in my research,

although, parallels will be drawn by also including the Volkswagen combi which

I believe will help demonstrate and strengthen my overall approach.

We need to understand that the beetle is primarily an object which has been

produced for a specific function to be consumed as a commodity and therefore

has an exchange value associated with it, albeit on a varying scale depending

on its cultural status at the time. The meaning of this consumer item will be

looked at in depth and about the place this thing and its meanings have

within society. This is an interesting aspect as the beetles cultural status

and exchange value have fluctuated along its historical timeline. The question

of meaning raises numerous questions ? which will be largely presented

through a discussion of semiotics ? about the relations between needs and

objects, nature and culture, meaning and social usage.

In producing a biography of a thing, ie. the Volkswagen beetle \ combi we need

to approach it in a way similar to that of composing a biography of a person.

We need to ask questions such as, where does the thing come from and who made

it? What has been its career so far, and what do people consider to be an

ideal career for such a thing? What are the recognized “ages? or periods in

the things “life “,and what are the cultural markers for them? How does the

things use change with its age, and what happens to it when it reaches the end

of its usefulness.

Today the beetle, for most people has lost its status as a purely functional

object and has changed into an object full of signs and myths that allude to a

way of life giving the vehicle a certain status within society. We shall be

looking at questions such as who and why would somebody buy a Volkswagen and

what it says about them. And we shall be raising issues like form over

function and when this becomes apparent.

when we look in a historical context of where the beetle came from it is

interesting to note that it came from Hitlers idea of producing a vehicle for

the masses. Volkswagen when translated, becomes “folks wagon” or peoples car

and it is significant that a car that was designed for the masses to unify

and subordinate them into conformity would later on become an expression of

individuality and a symbol of freedom and rebellion.

Hitler wanted to bring to the German people the same freedom of mobility

enjoyed by Henry Ford’s millions of American car owners: hence the term

volkswagen or people’s car. The first production model in 1937 was powered by

an air-cooled engine with the characteristic aerodynamically efficient beetle

shape which added to the little car’s 40 miles per gallon fuel economy.

After WWII production resumed and the first beetles reached the U.S. and

europe in 1949. By the mid 1990’s over 22 million of the original design had

been produced.

The car was affordable transportation for the masses. With its original

purchase price of $200 the VW was, like Ford’s Model-T, quite literally “the

People’s car”. What made it inexpensive to produce was its obvious small size.

What made it also inexpensive to maintain was the high mileage, air-cooled

engine. The conventional water cooled engine requires the additional weight,

expense and maintenance of pump, hoses and radiator. With minimal changes over

the years in body shape or internal structure, the car was endlessly

repairable since parts remained more or less the same, and VW could therefore

capitalize on the long life of its production tooling.

In a sense the VW was a modernist statement which rejected any frills or

decoration that might be superfluous to the car’s basic function. It

demonstrated good workmanship throughout. The basic reliable and easy to

maintain engine was purely functional as was the total design of the car.

Even six foot tall drivers found plenty of head room in the tiny interior.

Beetle Social Factors. By rejecting the American ethos of both the planned

obsolescence through annual model changes and also the excesses of conspicuous

consumption, the homely bug came to represent a 60’s counter culture . It was

indeed the “people’s car” by providing on an international scale affordable

transportation for low income earners. Moreover, the bug was practical in its

simplicity, small size, and durability which endeared it to its loving public.

Interestingly Volkswagen’s advertising was one of the first instances of a

major corporation setting out to market a technology on the basis of its

social virtues. By informing the public of its environmental green-ness ie

small efficient engine equals less fuel intake, Volkswagen was already one

step ahead of its competitors during the mid 70s oil crisis.

It became the antithesis of the big, flashy American car. This little economic

car was the best-selling car in automotive history. A truly international

phenomenon, the German Volkswagen’s efficiency, ease of driving, and simple

design provided millions with basic, cheap, and reliable transportation. It’s

easily recognizable shape dotted the landscape from New York to Paris to

Berlin and beyond, and became an icon for a generation in the 1960s and 1970s.

when you choose to purchase a Volkswagen you are immediately making a

statement about yourself and the lifestyle you aspire towards.Choice also

reflects values. The person who drives a tomato red 1971 Volkswagen until rust

leaves nothing for the floorboards to cling to is making a statement about how

she wants to spend her money and what she cares about. We say, ?That dress

isn?t me? or ?I?m not a cat person.? In choosing, you indicate what matters to

you and how you perceive yourself. Looking at it from barthes perspective, we

could say that, we are not just purchasing the aspirational lifestyle but we

are buying into the myth. This myth has constantly changed along the

Volkswagen historical timeline. To the German public in 1939, the Volkswagen

represented and reflected the Nazi ideals of conformity and equality and the

myth was that this car could unify the people through mass production at an

economical price. yet, today we can see that the beetle is a personal

statement purporting the myth that the car is a signifier of freedom and

individuality. We need to investigate what this signifier means and how and

why the meaning can change. It will be interesting to discover why people

today continue to buy used Volkswagens and why is there such a devoted

following. Today the beetle, when we compare it to other vehicles, lacks even

basic comforts such as heating, gives very poor crash protection, is

uneconomical to run and maintain yet is loved and cherished by millions of

owners worldwide.

We shall look at surveys of Volkswagen owners to decide what it is about the

car that makes it so unique. Why is the Volkswagen considered to be ?fun,

practical, reliable and full of charm and character?? How does this myth

become established? Do people by the car so as to obtain a certain lifestyle?

So that they can be perceived as being ?fun, quirky and individual??and how

it has come to attain a cult- like status whereby the meaning or sign of the

car has been superseded by its own myth.

Finally, I shall be concluding the cultural biography of Volkswagen, with a

personal reference, detailing my own experiences with a Volkswagen combi

traveling 25,000 miles around Australia living in the vehicle over a one year

period. What My perceived expectations were and how they changed the longer

the relationship between myself and the vehicle lasted. I shall be describing

how the vehicle can obtain a character either through innate design or

personal interactions and its own in-built idiosyncratic attributes. Was a

vehicle part of the lifestyle or was the lifestyle part of the vehicle?

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Chapter 21, Page 508: Pop art and Europe?s New Realism

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