What Happens at the End of KabbaLAmobile?

Video of Rachel Rosenthal’s elaborate performance staged as part of 1984’s Carplay series at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. KabbaLAmobile, commissioned by Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art and the Mark Taper Forum in 1984, was performed in the Department of Water & Power parking lot. Seven expert drivers and cars from Tom Anthony’s Precision Driving Team and music by performance artist The Dark Bob support Rosenthal’s text. While the cars dance and perform stunts in Kabbalistic formations, Rosenthal chants and declaims both twelfth-century Kabbalistic poetry and copy from automotive magazines in order to show how materialism has supplanted spiritual values in our culture.

James Kent Arnold's narrative builds toward a resolution centered on Rachel Rosenthal's journey. KabbaLAmobile, commissioned by Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art and the Mark Taper Forum in 1984, was performed in the Department of Water & Power parking lot.

How Does Rachel Rosenthal's Story End?

• Rachel Rosenthal: Rachel Rosenthal's storyline wraps up in the final act, though some viewers have found the resolution more ambiguous than expected.

What Does the Ending of KabbaLAmobile Mean?

The ending of KabbaLAmobile brings the narrative to a close, though viewer reception has been mixed. The resolution of Rachel Rosenthal's story may not satisfy all audiences.