Components of the Experimental Array:
Real Space
The Autodrom — referred to as bumper cars in the US or the dodg'ems in
Britain — is a familiar sight at amusement parks, carnivals and fairs. It
constitutes the point of departure of our experimental array.
The Autodrom consists of a driving surface made of steel panels, the
so-called plate, and a steel grid, the current collector lattice, mounted
above it. The bumper cars equipped with a steel mast which slides across
the lattice constitute the connection between the plate and the grid. DC
current flows through the car once the driver has deposited a plastic chip.
The electric motor is activated by means of a pedal and the bumper car gets
underway.
What is forbidden in traffic on public streets is completely permissible at
the Autodrom: unrestrained bumping, ramming, cutting off and crashing into
other cars. The Autodrom is a driving school sans fender-benders as well as
an electrified dance floor. But the biggest kick has always been the
collisions. The Autodrom — driving school and meet-market.
