TRABANTS

The Trabant remains a lasting physical and emotional statement of an extraordinary human experiment in centralised production. From 1957 to 1990 3.1 million Trabants were fabricated. Often the waiting time for a new Trabant was so long that the cost of actual cars was greater, as they were physically available. In the 21st century the Trabant has ended up associated affectionately with a time past and in a bizarre twist has mirrored a renaissance of nostalgic desire for the certainties of the communist era that created it.

Conceived and developed during a time of great shortages of steel and petrol the reality of life behind the iron curtain was reflected in the material specification. The actual bodywork of the vehicles was made of Duraplast, a composite fabricated in a press in a process similar to steel and made of a Phenolic resin reinforced with cotton fibres. Despite many flaws this was a compact, simple, economical, car that could seat four adults.

A series of 12 images. Signed Limited Edition Digital Fibre Museum Print. Each work is produced in an edition of 7
and is printed at 800 x 535mm