Inside Cars

No space is as charged as the inside of one's car: at once control center and retreat, public and private, sensuous yet artificial. For many it is a sanctuary from the "outside" world, becoming almost a sacred space. It is a room we all know, yet few of us give much thought to it. Moreover, the introduction of telephones, video, e-mail, and mapping and driving systems is rapidly transforming the character of the car interior. Inside Cars examines this unusual space through a range of media, including photography, video, sculpture, and painting. Alex Harris photographs windshields and dashboards of 50-year old cars in Havana; Nan Goldin's intensely personal photographs reveal the emotions played out inside this intimate space; Greil Marcus considers music as a component of the car; Phil Patton imagines the design of car interiors of the future; Paul Arthur traces the shifting image of the car as expressed in American film noir. Together, the visual and written material provide an eclectic and stimulating look into this unique space--one that most people inhabit and ignore on a daily basis. This book is the first in a series that marks the transformation of the award-winning 2wice magazine into hardcover book format.