Volvo XC60 isn’t just a new Volvo, it’s Barbara Davidson’s lens on the world (video)

Volvo has teamed up with Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Barbara Davidson and created a serious of photos using the new XC60’s camera.

Volvo ploughs its own furrow as a Premium car maker, refusing to follow the lead of the dominant German makers and instead delivering cars with a different focus.

That focus has always revolved around safety and, with their latest 90 and 60 Series of cars, a refusal to believe that buyers of Premium cars want a ride that’s been honed at the Nurburgring.

But with the new XC60, Volvo is going to lengths to show that the car is more than just a lump of metal, but has a ‘human’ side too.

That was demonstrated last month when Volvo illustrated the impact its safety technology has on the lives of those who come in to contact with it.

Now, Volvo shows how the new XC60 can be more than just a car, it can be a lens on to the world for Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Barbara Davidson.

In a world first, Davidson used the safety camera in the XC60 to create a series of images from the streets of Copenhagen, on show this week at Canvas Studios gallery in Shoreditch (and going touring after).

Barbara Davidson said of her work with the XC60:

The collection does two things. Firstly it is a snapshot of European city life in all its glory; secondly it also highlights the complex environments that we live in.

It is thanks to the cameras and other on-board sensors that cars like the Volvo XC60 make modern city life safer for pedestrians and other road users. With this project we connect art and safety for people to see the benefits of this technology.

When I was a teenager I was involved in a serious road accident where the car flipped over which, in normal circumstances, would probably have proven fatal. I was told later that I had survived because of the car I had been travelling in – a Volvo.

These aren’t just street photography images grabbed randomly, but carefully staged and framed shots which let Davidson’s unique view of the world shine through. Despite which, they have a real Henri Cartier-Bresson feel about them.

Volvo XC60 Photo Gallery

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Volvo XC60 Barbara Davidson Images Video