The Chariot by Dave Root is a kinetic piece that is not quite kinetic. It is directly inspired by Alberto Giacometti’s Le Chariot but interpreted on an asymmetrical plane in a non-figurative universe. In this iteration the chariot is out of balance and unstable. The driver of the chariot becomes a primitive tool with an awkward accessory. It is much more Don Quixote than it is Ben Hur. The wheels of the chariot are eccentric-cut heavy plate steel without a centered axle. They become nothing more than a lop-sided rotation that requires a kickstand whenever it is stopped. It is like a bicycle with a crate of rocks strapped to the rack. As soon as it stops it is ready to fall to the ground in a broken heap.

The tool on top is representative of any number of mechanical devices made in the post-Industrial Revolution age but before the point that standardization and engineering became more prevalent in tools and equipment and as technology subsequently improved. This so-called tool, the driver of this chariot, shows the single-minded drive towards an end that was built primarily on meetings and ambition. In the end, the sculpture of the modern-day chariot conveys the cynicism of the modern person in the modern world – the uselessness and ineffectuality coupled with a clumsy awkwardness.

Dimensions

Height: 26 in. (66.04 cm)
Width: 13 in. (33.02 cm)
Depth: 11.75 in. (29.85 cm)