Metzger believed the "aesthetic of revulsion" would add to the idea of the corrupt, capitalist system. By damaging the art itself, Metzger is able to question the idea of what art is. He goes against the idea of egocentrism in the artistic world. Metzger believed that in order to bring light to the corruption in politics, he must remove himself and his work from the art. He even states in his manifesto that "Auto-destructive art mirrors the compulsive perfectionism of arms manufacture - polishing to destruction point." This excerpt reflects the idea that many ADA artists shared. They wanted to withdraw from mass production, commercialism, and manufacturing. Artists Gustav Metzger grew up during the Holocaust, which greatly inspired his artwork. In 1943, Metzger lost his parents to Nazi attacks. Metzger quotes "Facing up to the Nazis and the powers of the Nazi state coloured my life as an artist." Metzger would spark the damage of the art piece to represent mankind’s destruction. He then allowed natural forces to take over which symbolized how mankind’s spark can result in much more destruction than intended. Metzger later used his art to speak out against the violence we do to each other and nature. In his 2009 piece, Flailing Trees, Metzger uprooted and overturned a series of trees to symbolize the brutalization done to the natural world. Along with Metzger, John Latham was another influential destructive artist. Latham had an interest in "temporality" and "time based" destruction. His most recognized piece was the Skoob Tower Ceremonies. Latham used stacks of books to create towers that he then set on fire. This demonstration was controversial due to the recent Nazi attacks and book burnings that took place. Latham noted that he was not against the content in the books, but rather the idea that books are the only source of knowledge. Artist Jean Tinguely was also a powerful figure in destructive art with his use of mechanics in 1953. Later in his work, Tinguely wanted to focus on "dematerialization" by creating machines that would eventually destroy themselves. One very significant piece was Homage to New York. This piece included a machine that created noise, paintings, and smoke before being stopped by a firefighter. The piece was meant to self-destruct and although was not able to complete its actions, still succeeded as an art piece. Tinguely believed this piece symbolized a freeing from material because