Diagnostics

Photo by Diana Sanchez

 "Diagnostics" is a collaborative art project between Oakland resident artists and car mechanics at Enthusiast Automotive. The auto shop is independently-owned by Keith “Speed” Pinckney, and it specializes in the maintenance of classic cars. This presentation reflects on the results of our two-year artistic and ethnographic engagement with the social and material environment around the restoration of cars. The images draw on the art exhibit installed and displayed inside the auto shop on July 23, 2011. The installation consisted of photographs, drawings, sculptures, paintings, video and music.

Installation of video by Davon Ramos within the garage setting

Heart sculpture made of tires and car parts by James Crosby

A photo installation by Diana Sanchez

Drawings and a painting in the office that was converted into a gallery

To bring our installation to life we invited Frank Sosa to play music that the mechanics like. We took a list down of the songs they would listen to in their cars and played them at the opening. 

Visitors having a drink

People hanging out at the shop during the exhibit

Visitors hanging out in the yard

Food and drinks were served at the exhibit

Many people asked questions about the project

We discovered speed had an archive of photos of his bodywork over the years. We displayed some of them. 

The idea of the project emerged in response to the current economic downturn. We have all witnessed the malfunctioning of the American culture of consumerism supported by the economy of credit since 2008. With many new suburban developments in crisis and car sales significantly decreasing, the momentum of our disillusionment has led to reconsideration of our previous spending habits. At a time of massive layoffs and rising unemployment, we have all looked for alternatives. One of them was to downsize and survive with recycling and reusing old things. We felt compelled to reflect on this shift, and our collaborator, Monica Linzner, recommended her local neighborhood mechanic, Enthusiast Automotive.

Raulus extracting parts for another truck. "Cannibalizing" parts from other cars is a common practice among mechanics to maintain and keep cars on the road at a minimal cost. 

 Speed and his collaborators, Raulus, John, Rigo, and Jorge, excel at renovating and maintaining old cars. Upon visiting and hanging out at the auto shop, we have learned about life histories of Speed and his collaborators, their lifelong fascination with the cars made prior to mid-1970s, their place in the neighborhood, their way of running a sustainable and affordable business, and the pressures of being Black and Latino men in the contemporary US. 

Daniel hanging out with Speed and Raulus

Rigo went to trade school to specialize on car bodywork. 

By identifying and distinguishing among different generations of cars in the US, Enthusiast Automotive mechanics actively preserve the history of American industrialism. As they cultivate a culture of repairing and reusing old cars and car parts, they are teaching us to value the legacy that we already have, as a counterpoint to the constant pursuit of innovation.
Despite the current push for gentrification that has displaced many businesses in this increasingly residential area, Speed’s auto shop persists. The auto shop mechanics’ insights on the current struggling consumer society help us understand and navigate an American city in the times of economic downturn.
An early 20th century apartment on Genoa Street.

Collaborators: Diana Sanchez, Zhanara Nauruzbayeva, Davon Ramos, James Crosby, Monica Linzner, Daniel Gallegos, Frank Sosa, Raulus Rogers, Speed Pinckney, Rodrigo Vargas, Jorge Ramirez, and John Terry.

 Thank you Matthew Gilliland and Devin Curry for helping with the exhibit installation. We would like to thank Cynthia Salaysay for taking photographs of the exhibit.

Diagnostics
1 of 1

"Diagnostics" is a collaborative art project between Oakland resident artists and car mechanics at "Enthusiast Automotive." The auto shop is independently-owned by Keith “Speed” Pinckney, and it specializes in the maintenance of classic cars. This presentation reflects on the results of our two-year artistic and ethnographic engagement with the social and material environment around the restoration of cars. The images draw on the art exhibit installed and displayed inside the auto shop on July 23, 2011. The installation consisted of photographs, drawings, sculptures, paintings, video and music. 

Diagnostics Field Notes: The blog on the everyday life of the project

Reviews:

Visual Artbeat Magazine

Oakland North Magazine

Rides Magazine December2011/January 2012 Issue