Ground Clearance: Owen Harvey's photographs of 'Lowriding' in America's Latino community

During the post-war prosperity of the 1950s, a rapidly growing and evolving subculture developed in the US, Latino youths placed sandbags in their custom cars so that the body of the vehicle would be grazing along riding close to the road.

Adopting the motto of “slow and low” and embellishing the vehicles in political statements and evocative imagery, implementing this aesthetic to occupy space and place on the highway, this mode of transport acted as a microcosm of the political impact the Latino community embodied and emulated in this era.

This collection shot by Owen showcases images of the Lowriding culture in 2016 and 2017, yet is being released in 2019 to highlight the political relevance of the Latino Community in today’s society and the change in conversation within the US.

"Technology has evolved creating these low-riding vehicles through hydraulics and these cars are distinguished for rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires," explains Owen. "Low riding is popular amongst many cultures with global appeal through the popularisation of this driving style in music videos, film and advertising."