A reaction to the constructed identities of consumerism and mass production: car customization as a medium for self expression

Official URL: http://192.168.1.20/record=b1558795 (Table of Contents)

Automobiles, since the early years of industrial revolution, have satisfied the increasing need of transportation and speed. Even today they still are the most important and common transportation vehicles for the personal needs. They give the freedom of mobility on an individual level. They cover the driver in the public space giving him/her confidence and the comfort of a home. But they also represent driver's identity, so the other participants of the traffic interact with the driver through this image represented. Like a second skin over drivers' bodies, automobiles also serve as a form of reflection of the self; they are symbols of status and identity. This study is an extended proposal to a photographic series consists of portraits of customized automobile owners with their vehicles. It provides a framework for the photographic work and aims to summarize social theories on mass consumer culture and studies that describe automobile both as a symbol and as a commodity.