Limousine

Name: Limousine
SKU: 9788898030767
Price: 32.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Author: Kathy Shorr

Language: EN

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€ 32,00

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Descrizione

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Kathy Shorr, raised in Brooklyn, bought her first car at the age of 17 and always loved driving. Her passion for cars dates back to her childhood, a time when only a few residents in her neighborhood owned a vehicle. As a young girl, she was inspired by her grandmother’s resourcefulness—the only member of the family to own and drive a car. Perhaps this early influence led Shorr to find work as a limousine driver after graduating college, turning the vehicle into a mobile photography studio.

For nine months, she captured a diverse range of passengers heading to weddings, proms, quinceañeras, and other celebrations. The limousine’s elegant interior served as a private space, allowing passengers from working-class backgrounds to embrace a temporary sense of celebrity.

Shorr’s work thus draws from two distinct genres in photographic history: the road trip — exemplified by projects like California Kiss by Elliott Erwitt — and studio portraiture. Just as families once visited a photographer’s studio to capture special occasions, her subjects stepped into the car in their finest attire to celebrate significant moments. In the 1980s, the limousine epitomized the ultimate symbol of luxury and social status. Long, sleek, and often featuring opulent interiors, it represented economic success and access to an exclusive world.

As Chris Lezotte notes, although women were often stereotyped as too frail to handle the “motorized beast,” they have long defied these gender norms, reclaiming the automobile as a source of autonomy. Shorr’s grandmother primarily used her Chevy for family outings, but it also stood as a means of independence. Kathy, on the other hand, as both photographer and driver, relied on the car to offer herself and her passengers the journey of a lifetime.

Photographs by Kathy Shorr
Texts by Chris Lezotte, Jean Dykstra
Book Design by Bunker

21 × 26 cm
96 pages
Hardcover
English

ISBN 978-88-98030-76-7
First edition, November 2024

Description

Kathy Shorr’s work draws from two distinct photographic traditions: the road trip and studio portraiture. Just as families once visited a photographer’s studio to capture special occasions, Shorr’s subjects stepped into the limousine dressed in their finest attire, ready to experience and immortalize unique moments. This blending of genres is reminiscent of narrative projects like California Kiss by Elliott Erwitt, where the road becomes the main character, and each journey tells its own story.

Born in Brooklyn, Shorr developed a deep love for driving at a young age, purchasing her first car at just 17. This passion was rooted in her childhood, a time when owning a car was a rare luxury in her neighborhood. Her admiration for her grandmother’s independence—who was the only family member to own and drive a car—instilled in Shorr a sense of determination and freedom. After graduating from college, Shorr found work as a limousine driver, turning this job into something exceptional: a mobile photography studio.

For nine intense months, Shorr photographed a kaleidoscope of passengers, each with their own story, heading to significant events such as weddings, proms, quinceañeras, and other celebrations. The luxurious interior of the limousine, with its refined and private atmosphere, became an intimate stage where people, often from modest backgrounds, could feel like stars, even if just for a moment. This fusion of travel and portraiture made each shot a unique experience, a moment where the apparent luxury of the vehicle allowed passengers to celebrate their personal milestones in a setting that intertwined mobility and photography.

As historian Chris Lezotte points out, while women have often been perceived as unable to master complex machines like the automobile—sometimes seen as a “mechanized beast”—they have continually challenged gender stereotypes, using cars as symbols of autonomy and empowerment. Shorr’s grandmother, with her Chevy, embodied this daily defiance: for her, the car was more than just a vehicle for family outings; it was a tangible symbol of freedom and independence. Similarly, Kathy Shorr, in her dual role as photographer and driver, turned the car into a tool for celebrating life and documenting the beauty of human diversity, offering both herself and her passengers a journey rich with meaning.