Kevin Cyr is a talented painter known for his objective portraits of vehicles. Worn and torn, these machines carry with them human stories through every hint of rust or paint. Cyr will be joining Jessica Hess in White Walls for a March 2010 show curated by Lainya Magana, and he is going above and beyond. Taking a step outside of his usual medium, Kevin is in the process of fundraising for his “Camper Kart” sculpture. Read his statement below or click here to watch him explain the piece on video.

About this project

I’m building the CAMPER KART: a pop-up camper affixed to a shopping cart. It’s a functioning sculptural piece that seeks to explore aspects of housing, mobility, and autonomy. It is also largely about self-reliance and making do with less.

I have always been interested in bikes and vehicles and for many years they have been the subject of my paintings. My paintings document odd and derelict vehicles: old delivery trucks inundated with graffiti and rust, well-traveled RVs, Indian rickshaws and Asian bikes.

Throughout the last year, I decided to build my own type of vehicles. On a trip to Beijing, I conceived and built a CAMPER BIKE: an amalgamation of a Chinese 3-wheeled flatbed bike with an American cabover style camper. Interested in building a series of mobile vehicles and inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road, I started sketching plans for CAMPER KART: a mobile unit built into a shopping cart—an ubiquitous urban object.

I’m about one third through the construction process. I have a basic structure built into a found shopping cart—including a front and back door, side pop-out panels, and shell of the roof. My next steps are to design and construct the corner lifts then purchase and sew the canvas walls.

With your support, I can not only finish the construction, but document the piece through drawings, paintings, and a photographic print.

Thank you for your consideration,
Kevin