‘Why is landscape beautiful?’ asked Lucius Burckhardt when he invented „The Science of Strolling“ in the 1980s. This question also accompanied our photo excursion to the North Sea island of Norderney in November 2019: What can you expect from nature in a strongly tourist-oriented place? What happens to the landscape when an island expects half a million visitors a year? Lucius Burckhardt’s approach taught us not to have any preconceived notions. My photo series ‘Unfamiliar Home’ (dt. Fremd in der Heimat) is part of the group project from the University of the Arts. My work focuses on the youth culture on Norderney: How do young people deal with their tourism-dominated home? How do they find a place that is theirs? Their strategies vary greatly: some imagine themselves in a different place, others intentionally stay put or return later. In my images I portray young people and position them in the urban landscape. By literally putting the focus on the humans depicted, the latter is only barely recognizable and fades into the background. I took all photos in the street, avoiding interiors. Due to the fact that I worked in the evenings, I needed additional lighting. However, I wanted to be respectful of the actual mood and situation, and not alter them. Therefore I intentionally did not use a flashlight but only the lighting available on location. Because the night belongs to the islanders.

Back in Bremen I collaborated with a group of curators on an exhibition entitled “Was man von uns aus sehen kann“. It was presented in February 2020 at the annual student art show and won the third price.

‘Why is landscape beautiful?’ asked Lucius Burckhardt when he invented „The Science of Strolling“ in the 1980s. This question also accompanied our photo excursion to the North Sea island of Norderney in November 2019: What can you expect from nature in a strongly tourist-oriented place? What happens to the landscape when an island expects half a million visitors a year? Lucius Burckhardt’s approach taught us not to have any preconceived notions. My photo series ‘Unfamiliar Home’ (dt. Fremd in der Heimat) is part of the group project from the University of the Arts. My work focuses on the youth culture on Norderney: How do young people deal with their tourism-dominated home? How do they find a place that is theirs? Their strategies vary greatly: some imagine themselves in a different place, others intentionally stay put or return later. In my images I portray young people and position them in the urban landscape. By literally putting the focus on the humans depicted, the latter is only barely recognizable and fades into the background. I took all photos in the street, avoiding interiors. Due to the fact that I worked in the evenings, I needed additional lighting. However, I wanted to be respectful of the actual mood and situation, and not alter them. Therefore I intentionally did not use a flashlight but only the lighting available on location. Because the night belongs to the islanders.

Back in Bremen I collaborated with a group of curators on an exhibition entitled “Was man von uns aus sehen kann“. It was presented in February 2020 at the annual student art show and won the third price.