There’s something more than the experience of driving and arriving, and the journey to get there. There’s the reflection of ourselves or aspirational selves in them. There’s a connection, a bond strong enough to sustain occasionally being let down, or even stranded. We pour our money and time into them. There’s a first scratch and then a second and then it’s all character. We lust after others but remain true, until we’re not. Sometimes it happens against our will. She was a good car. But what becomes of her when we say goodbye and hand over the keys? After the final miles, almost all are melted down and reborn as newer models. UNTOTALED is a celebration of loved cars. It immortalizes them in their final recognizable forms.

UNTOTALED was all-consuming—full of experiments, adventure and good stories. To create the subject matter for UNTOTALED, I procured and prepared 20 notable cars, had them crushed into cubes, then photographed the most intact from every angle. Despite my intention to crush each car gingerly, there were many fatalities. Ultimately I combined the images, reinterpreting the tight masses of steel into what I would later call photosculpture.

The initial pieces measure 12” on all sides. Printed on polished, heavy gauge steel panels, each piece is hammered and welded into a convex cube. The resulting gaps help create an appearance of lightness. Continuing with the idea of contradicting the real and perceived mass of an entire car compacted into a small block, my latest interpretations utilizes solid blocks of glass and acrylic as a base material. These partially reflective, partially transparent gem-like pieces were produced as 6" and 4" cubes. 

Please contact Jeff about pricing and availability.

Commentary:
I’ve been dreaming of this production for a long time. A car guy indeed, I’ve had my first for over thirty years. It took a while to find the right partner, someone willing to support my vision even if he couldn’t understand it. Rich at Bonnie’s Car Crusher, featured in this WSJ article was generous enough to allow me to play it out. My trusted friend, fellow photographer and digital artist Andrew Webb has been indispensible as well.