For a long time, Detroit was considered the automobile capital of the world. Since the early sixties, however, the »Big Three« - Ford, Daimler-Chrysler, General Motors – have been moving their production plants either to the south of the USA, where the unions are not as organised, or to Central or South America. This has had devastating consequences: those who could afford it moved away, leaving behind the unskilled »factory hands« and a social, political minefield. What is now much more obvious in Detroit than the few, fortress-like production plants is the »second« automobile market: the trade with used cars and scrap cars, spare parts and tyres. Car-related services also absorb some of the labour that has been made available: »customizing« or – as here – the care of expensive luxury cars. The team from »Jax Carwash« washes cars as if on the production line, with a strict division of labour and optimal time management. During our repeated stays in Detroit, we were interested in how the principle of »Fordism« is transformed in a post-industrial situation. Since 2000, we have created various photographic series, video interviews and, most recently, our contribution, »The Detroit Tree of Heaven Workshop«, for the newly opened »Museum Arbeitswelt Steyr«.

 

Translated by Timothy Jones

 

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