Excavatrice

Mattenberger lives in a world of weird objects lying in wait to pounce and turn the places where they appear topsy-turvy. A mere push of the starter button on his Excavatrice (Excavator, 2006) could enable its sharp blades to tear up a wooden floor. […] These are no autonomous objects – we are reminded of the tanker whose driver viewers never get to see in Spielberg’s Duel, or the 1957 Plymouth in John Carpenter’s film Christine. With Mattenberger, it is just the opposite: although all his works are operational, their functioning is up to each of us.
Excerpt from a text by Jean-Paul Felley & Olivier Kaeser, Luc Mattenberger – The Toxic Poetics of Petrol Engines

2006
Plywood, machine, twin four stroke engine, wheels, steel blades, 99 x 74 x 160 cm
photo credit : © Viktor Kolibàl