Description

The idea that our time is obsessed with the modes and methods of security is by now a commonplace, yet behind this familiar syndrome lies a less-examined array of social and psychological phenomena--not just related to the nature of the threat faced (whether real or simply perceived) but also to the fundamental notions of stability and integrity these perils are understood to jeopardize. The Insecurity issue of Cabinet features Brian Dillon on hypochondria; Gaby Wood on phantom limbs; Eyal Weizman on the relationship between postmodern architectural theory and contemporary strategies of urban warfare; and Jeffrey Kastner on eighteenth-century master locksmith Joseph Bramah. It includes a conversation with Olivier Razac (on the history of barbed wire) as well as an artists' portfolio of real and imaginary "security blankets," Celeste Olalquiaga's examination of the sewers of Paris, Jenny Tobias's take on stock photography and an interview with accent coach Sam Schwa.