Capturing Contested Mobile Space

Abstract Coastal urban edges, defined by significant spaces of mobilities, create tensions in the oppositions of flows of the practices of vision and action. Photography captures moments and tells fragments of stories. A closer, longer look of photographic images allows for otherwise un-noticed details. We notice the gendered automobilities at play in the coastal roadways and street spaces of Brighton, UK and Havana, Cuba, both renowned for their celebration of speed from car racing and testing. This article analyses selected photographic images from two archives situated in Brighton and Havana. We consider the impact of pre-determined and applied axes and planes of the spaces, considering the intentions before, and the imaginary afterlife of the images. Our analysis adds to an understanding of speed and injustice at the coastal urban edge.