CARHENGE From Caddilac ranches to Stonehenge---hmm---Carhenge by Danica Gianola
What: No other ancient monument ever attracted as much as Stonehenge. In the United States there are several copies of the landmark, which dot Washington, Nebraska and New Hampshire states, to name but a few. Built of concrete, plaster-covered steel and styrofoam they often are a replica...rebuilt with American standards. Carhenge, anyhow, is for sure the most bizzarre copy of all. The idea of creating this unique car sculpture belongs to western Nebraska resident Jim Reinders. Reinders studied the design and purpose of Stonehenge while a resident in England. At a family gathering in 1982, following the death of his father, it was decided to build a memorial to his dad and the idea of Carhenge was developed. Built in 1987, during a six days' span by 35 family members, it's made of 38 cars spray - painted in gray, in a circle of 96 feet in diameter. Originally, there were two foreign vehicles, which were later replaced by American models. During the Summer Solstice of 1987, it was dedicated to Jim's father. Carhenge wasn't well accepted at the beginning and the residents of Alliance wanted to tear it down. Today, on the contrary, it's amongst the attractions of the zone, and the time, during which the Nebraska Department of Highways had labelled it a junkyard, is far away. For more information on Carhenge go to Carhenge.com.  click here to view fullscreen Who: John Blake of JohnBlakePhotography.com. Where: Alliance, Nebraska, USA. When: September 23,2006. Why: Personal work for the World Wide Panorama event "Transportation" September 20-24,2006. John Blake observes "I first found out about Carhenge when I saw a photo of the sculpture taken by a fellow staff photographer at the newspaper in Greeley, Colorado where I had worked. The thought of using vintage American cars to create a replica of the famous Stonehenge in England is to me a stroke of genius". Technical Details: Nikon D100 camera body,Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens,Manfrotto 303SPH Panorama Head, Gitzo Tripod. Software: Nikon Capture Editor, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Realviz Stitcher V5.1.Links: JohnBlakePhotography.com Carhenge.com Email: john at johnblakephotography.com |