Amy Stein is one of the most consistently interesting photographers working today — her series Domesticated is an all-time Flavorwire favorite, and her work is constantly both conceptually fascinating and technically impressive. The New York-based photographer’s follow-up to Domesticated, entitled Stranded, found her examining the idea that, beginning with the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, America’s faith has been shaken in the ability of its traditional support structures to deal with challenges to collective security and quality of life. Stein explores this through that most resonant symbol of American potency, the car, photographing roadside breakdowns: “The car serves as both figurate symbol of American destiny and a literal representation of the personal breakdowns on the road to that promise.” There’s more of Stein’s work at her website (including a Google map of where she took all the photos for this series).
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein
Photo credit: Amy Stein