DIY tractor culture in Poland
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The Żak Gallery in Berlin is currently running a delightful exhibition
In the '60s Poland it was almost impossible to acquire a tractor in Poland. Agricultural machines produced by the country were available mainly for state-owned enterprises. For private farmers these tractors were too expensive and they weren't even robust or efficient enough for the mountain region. Out of necessity they constructed their own machines using spare parts and bits and pieces from whatever machines they could find. Including decommissioned army vehicles and pre-WWI German machines.
Since 2005 Łukasz Skąpski has been traveling all over Poland to document the story of the tractors hand-constructed by farmers. He also made a video where farmers talk fondly about their machines, how it goes faster than it is allowed, how they can drive very steep roads with it and how robust the vehicle is. Considered that somewere built decades ago most of them look like little marvels.
Also at the Żak gallery is Skapski's latest photo series of self-made houseboats.
On view at the Żak Gallery in Berlin until March 3. Fotopolis has a few more pics. |
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beautiful. nice to know that us yankee's aren't the only ones.
here's one i "restored" last summer in vermont. it's mostly used for logging.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1363/1023418892_ee7cb766d7_o.jpg
a 1931 model AA ford doodlebug. (a dumptruck that's been shortened into a tractor)
Reminds me of what quite a few American small farmers did during the great depression when they were broke, and during WWII, when no tractors were available for sale.
Some of these look to have quite sophisticated engineering for machines which were home made.
I love this stuff. It reminds me of this movie:
Pretty Dyana
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2181669920911563723
"An intimate look at Gypsy refugees in Belgrade suburb who make a living by transforming Citroen's classic 2cv and Dyana cars into Mad Max-like recycling vehicles, with which they collect cardboard, bottles and scrap metal."
It's very interesting. In fact, in Poland such DIY machines are quite common, I guess communism pushed people towards DIY way of life...
see how good communism is?
Lets kill amerika!
I remember my grandfather's cart, it was a really piece of art made by an ancient war truck, some wood an other pieces that he found wherever. Tere was an age in wich you were able to move using just fantasy ad tour capabilities, it was (in north Italy) just around 1980, after that the system (using police and force) imposed to have money and buy or stole a new car to move.