My fictional biker jacket: the story of a painting
Cardwell, Tom (2016) My fictional biker jacket: the story of a painting. In: 6th International Journal of Motorcycle Studies Conference and Exhibition, 14 - 16 July 2016, Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, UK.
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This paper will feature a detailed presentation and analysis of my painting How the west (Country) was won (2016) which features a fictional decorated leather biker jacket. The jacket references the customised jackets of the rockers and ton-up boys (Friedrichs, 2012) that chart the rider’s history and affiliations. The painted jacket chronicles the lives of two quasi-mythical characters–Wat Tyler, the 14th Century revolutionary leader, and a cowboy from Wyoming who shared my own name. These stories are used to explore narratives of identity through place and the search for freedom variously experienced in the old English country of Wessex and the American West. These narratives coalesce in the image of the motorcycle, viewed as a modern incarnation of the horse as a symbol of individual destiny described in the novels of Cormac McCarthy (1992, 1994, 1998) and the lyrics of Metallica’s eponymous album (1991).
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