Issue 1

photoessay

b y

E R I K C H M I L

HOW MUCH SPACE
DOES MOBILITY NEED?

Empty car parks. Are these a symbol of our mobile independence
or a sign of finite development?
Photographer Erik Chmil lays bare the reality
of unused car parks in his image project
“Where to park?”.

Words by Erik Chmil

Around the world, parking areas are divided according to an ever-recurring uniform linear structure. No matter where they are found. They represent our need for individuality and plainly reveal the dire consequences of the freedom awarded to us by automobiles. With his photographs, Chmil exposes the current situation in a contemporary way. The sprawling car parks of Los Angeles are in stark contrast to those squeezed tightly in between high-rise buildings in New York City or on the edge of the inhospitable Atacama Desert. Chmil has been working on his “Where to park?” image series since 2004. Mobility is at the heart of his work, albeit without explicitly depicting mobility. He manages to raise questions without posing them directly.