Performance
2019
‘Charging Tesla Crash, a Speculation’ is a collaborative installation and performance that reflects on global inequalities tied to resource extraction. The artists Jean Katambayi, Sammy Baloji, and Daddy Tshikaya constructed a life-size Tesla Model S woven from recycled copper wires, referencing toys crafted by children of mining workers in Lubumbashi in DR Congo. In close dialogue with them, artist Marjolijn Dijkman staged a performance in which three million volts symbolically charged the copper car using a self made Tesla coil.
The performative installation returns to the utopian ideas of Nikola Tesla about wireless and available energy for everyone around the globe. Yet, the car remained inanimate, exposing the dead-ends of the asymmetrical benefits and the exploitative dynamics of the global mineral industry. While Tesla Inc.’s vision of the “green” car of the future caters to regions that enjoy its use, the environmental and social costs are displaced onto areas of extraction, such as DR Congo, where lithium and copper are sourced for electric car batteries. (- text by Moezeum, Rotterdam, 2025)
’Tesla Crash, a Speculation’ by Jean Katambayi, Sammy Baloji, Daddy Tshikaya is a handmade 1:1 model of the notorious Tesla Model S in recycled copper wires using a special weaving technique. This wire construction is inspired by miniature replicas of cars made by the children of workers living in mining camps in Lubumbashi. ‘Tesla Crash, a Speculation’, reflects the enrichment of the global mineral industry against the background of a local economy that is still static and poor.
‘Charging Tesla Crash, a Speculation’ can also be presented as a photo print or moving image.
Charging Tesla Crash, video (no audio), 1:28 min. loop (Camera: Uriel Orlow)
Charging Tesla Crash, a Speculation
Collaboration of: Jean Katambayi, Sammy Baloji, Daddy Tshikaya, Marjolijn Dijkman
Performance developed for: 6th Lubumbashi Biennale, Lubumbashi, DR Congo, 2019
Curated by: Sandrine Colard
Supported by: Mondriaan Fund, Digital Earth
Technical assistance & construction of Tesla Coil: Lukas Pol (electro-technician)
Produced in the framework of On-Trade-Off, an ongoing artistic-research project that raises awareness about environmental and economic implications of the extraction and processing of Lithium, the main raw material needed for the global production of Green Energy, initiated by Picha (DRC) and Enough Room for Space (BE).
