Picture Show: Crash Tests

Crash test dummies, or anthropomorphic test devices, are replications of human forms and weight distributions, used to study potential human damage in car crashes. We're all familiar with images of them flying through windshields or being restrained by seat belts and airbags in slow motion. But when looked at through a different lens, the models take on a surreal, human quality. "Crash Tests," by the French photographer Charles Negre, offers a look at a number of unsung-if inanimate-heroes, without whom we drivers and passengers would be a great deal worse off.