'VW Caddy 14D', a lifestyle & work of art – interview with conceptual artist Simon Freund
Visual and conceptual artist Simon Freund is fundamentally a minimalist – both in his own life and his art – so it only makes sense that his bio consists of one simple phrase: “Born in 1990, I live and work without permanent residence.” Simon’s work spans over a variety of themes and subjects, with one connecting thread: the objects of everyday life and how we integrate them into our lives.
This was also the theme for his short film ‘VW Caddy 14D’, directed by Max Werdin, in which he tells the story of his car – and homebase – and his relationship to it. His caddy is an old vehicle (registered in 1990) and yet very much functional, and harbours the minimalistic design that both he and we at ellectric are fond of. We had the chance to speak to Simon about the film and his life-companion, the VW Caddy 14D.
In your short-film VW Caddy 14D, you speak of the car almost as if it were a person, someone holding you accountable to the life you want to lead and the person you want to be. What is it about this vehicle in particular that allows you to feel that way?
Cars are a little bit like dogs: You can picture their owner by looking at it. This is because most of the time we are attracted to what reminds us of ourselves. A lazy person will most likely have a lazy dog and a very sporty person is more likely to drive a sporty car. So in a way the car is a mirror of myself and that’s why it’s so personal to me. As part of my uniform example I only wear white underwear (knee socks, boxer shorts, t-shirt). So the car had to be white as well. Also, I’m very fond of simplicity, so I’m happy that it’s an old car which has only the most important features and is designed in a way that simply fits its purpose. As I live without permanent residency I also need to be able to take everything I own with me. So it’s important that the car can hold all of my belongings in the back.
But in the end it’s also something that just happens. Either you feel comfortable with a product or you don’t – it’s strange, I guess the car and I are just made for each other.
Though functionality was number one priority for car manufacturers a few decades ago, these days many luxury cars are designed to provide you with the utmost comfort – sometimes even including the “best possible smells.” In contrast, your VW Caddy 14D “stinks” and is quite slow, but it works and gets you where you need to go -- as you said yourself in the film. What does functionality mean to you, and what role does it play in your life?
When it comes to functionality (and therefore design) I truly believe in the ten principles for good design by Dieter Rams.
“Second principle: Good design makes a product useful
A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.”
So functionality plays a crucial part in everything I own. I like things which have various functions and things which simply work well. As I own very little I choose very well which items I allow into my life and if it’s not functional I need to absolutely love it for it to become part of my possessions.
I also can get very annoyed when things don’t work well or I’m surrounded by bad products or too much plastic, whereas well made products can make me really happy.
In the film you mention that the car has always been a dream of yours, but can you tell us more about the idea behind this project particularly? Why did you feel the need to share your love of this vehicle with the world?
Already before buying the car, during the test drive, I decided that this car will become my next artwork, but it took me almost a year to officially claim it to be an actual artwork and to upload it as such on my website. It’s like I needed to test its functionality as an artwork first before making it public. So I see the car itself as a sculpture, which is currently sculpted by me and has been sculpted by its previous drivers as well. It’s therefore an ongoing project and it’s constantly changing as I change the lights, it gets more bumps etc.
The film is to document the car in a certain moment of time and a certain state because as I also mention in the film – things are always changing and maybe the car will not work anymore in a few years or it will look completely different or have a new owner.
At the same time the idea of the film was also to introduce more people to my work. However, there are more than enough artist portraits out there and I found it really boring to just talk about myself. So by talking about the car I’m hoping to be able to introduce some of the philosophy behind my work in a more subtle and maybe more honest way.
A car is of course an object that offers you freedom of movement – especially if it can double as a home. How has living on the road changed your life, and your art? What does it teach you?
I’m in the comfortable situation that I was free to decide to live this way. While I don’t have enough money to afford a permanent residency – it’s mainly because I don’t want to work just any job to make money and that my work (my art) is not paid like an office job although I work extra hours – It’s not because I can’t work for whatever reason. So I guess my experience is far from someone who actually has to live on the road for other reasons. Still it has shown me how difficult it is to always keep moving and to constantly take everything with you. At some point you really have to decide what’s really important to you and that’s a great experience but it’s also tough sometimes. At the same time I met so many different people and ways to live which is just great. Also spending a lot of time with friends while staying at their places has taught me a lot about how other people’s life and how to be as little obtrusive as possible. While I don’t have a home anywhere I feel at home everywhere at the same time – so it’s double-sided, like everything in life. In general I really appreciate this lifestyle though and I’m very used to it by now. However, this does not mean that I don’t long for a home or a place of my own sometime.
For my art it mostly means that I have doubled or tripled my input and the people I meet. This is very inspiring and although not every encounter or new place leads to a new artwork it definitely translates into my work – be it only that I do very little physical work at the moment, simply because I can’t carry a lot of equipment with me.
Constantly being on the road also inspired me to start a new photo series, which I will start while currently being in Cairo – unfortunately, without the car …
We at ellectric highly value minimalistic design and the sense of ease and quality it provides. What is it about minimalism both as a lifestyle and as a design language that speaks to you?
I mentioned Dieter Rams earlier and again his principles perfectly describe what I like about what you call “minimalism”
“Fifth principle: Good design is unobtrusive
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.”
Especially the part about self-expression is really important to me. I like things to be minimal to have more room for my own thoughts and ideas. When I look at a website, car or a piece of clothing that already screams at me with flashy colours or unnecessary features I feel it intrudes my own personality or style. Whereas a more minimal approach feels more inviting and gives me room to create my own ideas and personality around something.
That’s also why I present my work in a very minimal way – it’s to leave room for you to think about it and to be able to concentrate on what it might mean to you.
As a dedicated minimalist, Simon is of course not on social media, but you can follow his work on his newsletter. Simon’s work is also available to everyone free of charge, especially online. He is currently supported by about 65 patrons with 1€ per month, no more - no less.
At ellectric, we like to put an emphasis on the intersections between design and mobility – but also the arts, whether that’s fashion, music, or visual arts. This is precisely why we created our Zeitgeist category, and we are excited to feature more artists of all fields in the future, and thank Simon for his collaboration.
Pictures & Video: Simon Freund