From Known to Unknown, 1999

1999 I took photographs of neuchâtel, my new adopted town. Neuchâtel was looking forward to the national exposition expo.01, which should become oner year later expo.02. In the lake you could already see some test-pillars which should carry the arteplage later on. The idea "From Known to Unknown" was as well a concept of the expo.02. I found my sujets a liitle bit apart. Especially the lake was a true mine of images. The iron pillar in the lake is however only a slightly ironic reference to the arteplage-pillars.

When the world is running down you make the best of what's still around, 1999

This is the second project where I tried to discover the possibilities of unsharpness. I took the images with a Rollei 6x6 camera and tried to blur and smudge the them during the exposure. The themes are quite vast: Windsurfer, fish traps, demonstrations, archeological weapons, a computerscreen, a telescope and of course trees and plants again.

Sunday afternoon, 1998

A walk. The vegetation is smudged, blured and shaked. My own emotional state was not much better. The rework in the darkroom was done by a lot of chemicals to reach the contrasted, grungy style of the prints. At the end the paper was fixed with sepia, arsen or goldtoning.

When black turns brown, 1995

The seven photographs are the result of a photo-competition with the theme " Au saut du lit - jumping out of the bed". They were made on 6x6 film and extensively worked out in the darkroom to achieve the special color-effects. I tried to generate as much colors as possible between black an brown. the title of the project.

Masks, 1994

Meeting, force, justice, meditation, love, tension, dark, sleep, advice, equanimity and old age. The expression of these african masks impressed me at the point that I tried to translate the abstract terms in the studio. The rework in the darkroom was again time-consuming. All black and white photographs were covered with a paste and then partially toned.

Mukti Bhavan - The house of liberation, Varanasi 1993

Varanasi. In the heart of the old city you can find the house of liberation, an institution where believing Hindus can rent a room to die in the holy city. Here they can spent their last days in the middle of their family and will be burnt at the riverside of the Ganges after completing their life. I joined eight families on this way.

Delhi 1993

Everybody who took already a walk in New Delhi in May between 12.00 and 14.00 knows what it means. A perpendicular sun, a small shadow and up to 48 degrees Celsius. No place and time indeed to make extensive walks. It's time for a small afternoon nap. But not everybody can pass the hot time with a siesta. They try to protect themselves as good as possible from the sunrays. each squareinch of shadow is being used. The photgraphs were taken in an area between Connaught place, Paharganj, Jama Masjid and Red Fort in May 1993 between 12.00 and 15.00.

Steinwesen, 1993

Two weeks in a small tent on 4000m in Himachal Pradesh. The fascinating mountains of the Himalaya are suppling the frame for this project. For geologists these rock layers are stone wittnesses of the past. The technique of the created images looks nowadays quite oldfashioned too: Black and white images which were toned partially in blue, sepia, brown, sele and goldtoner.

Varanasi. Steps to eternity, 1993

The photographs were taken from December 1991 until Mars 1993. During this time I walked almost every day at the riverside of the Ganges. Hanuman Ghat, Harischandra Ghat, Kedar Ghat, Ksameshwar Ghat, Manasarowar Ghat, Peshwas Raja Ghat, Dasaswamedh Ghat, Lalita Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Scindhia Ghat, Brahma Ghat und Gai Ghat. All in all about 3 km to show this holy river from a more quiet side.

Varanasi. Pucca Mahal, 1993

Pucca mahal is the name of the old parts of Varanasi, which are alined along the ghats, the steps down to the Ganges. In the narrow streets the indian way of life is practiced openly. Here the public place is still public and is used extensively. Different religions have to stay together on this limited area..and they still have to share the place with their four-legged friends. The photographs were taken between December 1991 and Mars 1993.