‘Sleeping Cars’ presents photographs of resting cars at night throughout Los Angeles. Undeniably the city of cars; these vehicles are the blood in the veins of Los Angeles. Ludwig documents where these iconic Los Angeles inhabitants reside at night— tucked into driveways, proudly displayed in front of homes, glowing under street lamps, covered with tarps or simply left bare. The viewer is invited to become a voyeur, documenting alongside Gerd Ludwig where these cars go to rest at night.

In the introduction, Gerd Ludwig explains, “My cars are loners. They command their own space and enjoy showing off their presence. Like a devoted bird watcher I have learned to recognize their sleeping patterns. With voyeuristic pleasure I’ve spied on them in their nightgowns. I’ve watched some sleep in the nude; some take afternoon naps and a few lucky ones get to sleep together. I find covered cars more in L.A. than anywhere else. Here, middle-class families generally own more than one car, but their homes only have one-car garages. So many cars are left parked on the street for an extended period – lovingly covered, especially during holidays, when their owners treat them like crated pets.”

The vehicles rest against backgrounds of varying ambient light on the winding streets of the Hollywood Hills to the flat gridded suburbs of the Valley. Nestled in the low-lying fog of these distinctly Los Angeles neighborhoods, the vehicles begin to take on personalities of their own. Each car’s distinct surroundings create a different tableau and tempt the viewer to construct his own narrative behind each vehicle. Ludwig’s late night scenes of cars sitting alone on streets in the dead of night possess an inherent mysterious quality, and almost bring to mind a forgotten movie set of a noir film, both so intrinsic to Los Angeles.

Highlights

• Hardcover, bound in linen: 144 pages, 75 photos

• Language: English

• Publisher: Edition Lammerhuber

• ISBN 978-3-901753-96-1

• Product Dimensions: 35.5 x 28 cm

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