Kevin Cyr

Camper Kart is a small pop-up camper affixed to a shopping cart. It is a functioning sculptural piece that seeks to explore aspects of housing, habitat, mobility, and autonomy. It is also emblematic of self-reliance and human perseverance. The project was inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road, in which a father and son struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world pushing a shopping cart filled with their meager belongings. Although the shopping cart was once associated with middle-class prosperity, it has been recontextualized—especially in urban areas—to be associated with homelessness and poverty. Camper Kart does not aim to provide a solution to social issues, but is partly a reaction to materialism and excess. The current economy has forced many people to make do with less. The spirit of frugality is something that we often embrace after it becomes a necessity, but can be liberating nonetheless. The piece also exemplifies nostalgic impulses. The cart is equipped with items from the 1980’s, a period in my childhood when camping was a frequent family activity. It is stocked with a camping stove, cast iron skillet, lantern, cooler, drinking containers, knives, and hatchet—all supplies to ensure a basic level of comfort—and a cassette player for amusement..