MOUNTAINS // Two Photographers – One Focus ISBN 978-3-928013-53-6
10 Euro
Cheers
// Powered by Image and Type //
The Photographer's Magazine // cheers-magazine.com // 01.2010 Featuring // Christoph Düpper ‹ c o v e r › a n d B e r n d S c h u m a c h e r ‹ b a c k c o v e r ›
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cheers-magazine.com // 01.2010
… th e o t h e r si de
imprint
… th i s si d e
// table of contents
1
Editorial
4
Christoph Düpper
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Gletscherweiber
visual language — fonts in use
29
Interview by Karin Schickinger
34
Modes of Perception
›‹
Taybeh Brewing Co.
Editorial
1
6
Bernd Schumacher
14
Gotthard
Cheers — supported by Volcano Type
24
Essay by Winni Rust
Taybeh-Ramallah, Palestine | Cheers ad
Interview by Karin Schickinger
Photographs by Bernd Schumacher
34
Wege des Sehens
Imprint and Sales Order — please see Back Cover
C
Photographs by Christoph Düpper
Ein Essay von Winni Rust
Tabel of Content // Mountain Regular 32 pt and 11 pt Wordmark // Marcelle Script Regular & Swashes 154 pt Quotation // Filou Extra 320 pt Type Specs // GringoTuscan LightWide 6 pt / 3 mm
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»
o see life; to see the world; to see strange things; to see and to take pleasure in seeing; to see and be amazed; to see and be instructed.« That is the shortened version of legendary Life magazine’s prospectus. The means: Photography. Large format photo series. In order »to see things thousands of miles away; things hidden behind walls; things dangerous to come to.«
Editorial auf Deutsch – diesen Text finden Sie
That’s exactly what Cheers wants. To see things no one else sees because they’re hidden from the outside world – such as the construction of the new Gotthard Base Tunnel that amazes us thanks to Bernd Schumacher’s photos. Or things nobody could have yet seen because they are a product of the photographer’s imagination – such as Christoph Düpper’s Gletscherweiber.
in der Rubrik von Bernd Schumacher auf der anderen Seite des Cheers Magazine…
Cheers is a platform. Two photographers, two photo series, two interviews. An essay by Winfried Rust on modes of perception provides the link in our first issue. Arranged in new fonts by Volcano Type. Cheers is a nonprofit magazine that emerged from a network of photographers and designers. It is self-created, self-financed and always open for like-minded people. People that love »to see man's work – his paintings, towers and discoveries.« And enjoy drinking Palestinian beer. That’s what makes it Cheers! »Cheers folks« // Christoph Düpper, Bernd Schumacher, Wolfgang Wick
Initial // Filou Medium 110 pt Copy // GringoSans LightNarrow 11 pt / 5 mm Copy Bold // GringoSlab Bold 11 pt / 5 mm Margin // Mountain Regular 7 pt / 5 mm Running Title // Mountain Regular 9 pt Type Specs // GringoSans LightNarrow 6 pt / 3 mm
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C he e rs I nt e r v i e w / / C hr isto p h D ü p p e r // www. ch r isto p h d u e p p e r . co m
I take photos, pictures. It’s not my decision if that’s art or not.
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e meet at Christoph’s place. Renovated early 20 century townhouse, very bright, a bit cold. Somewhat overrenovated, in his opinion. But it’s not his apartment. He gets his latte macchiato from the café next door. We sit down in the kitchen, his favorite room. I take a seat at the bar, he sits on the counter, right next to the stove top. Sitting there in his white shirt, he resembles a chef. Later on, he talks about his connection with that profession. But to start off, we talk about Gletscherweiber. th
Cheers // Where did the Gletscherweiber idea come from? Christoph Düpper // It started with hallucinations. I had just returned from a job in Africa, was in a hospital, 40°C fever, and had a dream about ice and women. And yes, they were tied up. Quick question: Where were you in Africa and what was the diagnosis? I had been to Zambia and, after returning, suddenly got this massive ague. Weren’t you scared of having contracted a dangerous tropical disease? Ebola fever or something like that? First, I thought it was Malaria. When that was ruled out, it got scary. Luckily, the Antibiotics worked, meaning it was a bacterial infection. Within a week, everything was fine. Running Title // Mountain Regular 9 pt Head & Subhead // Mountain Regular 38 pt / 36pt Initial // Marcelle Script Regular 110 pt Copy // GringoSans LightNarrow 11 pt / 5 mm Copy Bold // GringoSlab MediumNarrow 11pt / 5mm Type Specs // GringoSans LightWide 6 pt / 3mm
But during that week you actually dreamt of women and ice? Exactly. I should mention that I used to climb a lot, mostly during the winter. Ice climbing? Ice climbing and mixed climbing in ice and rock. For quite a while, I never considered the mountains from a professional perspective, never had clients from the climbing scene. But after that dream, I figured it would make for an interesting project to bring my two passions together – mountains and people photography. It was about time. Actually, I only wanted to take one picture. Which one? The picture of a topless woman in a glacier snout holding a rope. But that seems less bound than libera ting? Yes, I guess you’re right, the picture has a cathartic moment.
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How did the pictures come about? They show quite a variety of motives. It was all rather easy after picture 1. We basically said, we’re going to try this out for a while, this is our play ground. A people-fashion-portfolio in the mountains. With a dead pig on a sled? The dead pig was for our New Year greeting cards. It represents the lucky pig that we had caught for our clients. A deliberate provocation that was well received. I guess it wasn’t provocative enough. Maybe people are too used to provoca tions? Provocation is hardly unusual nowadays. For the clothes in the other pictures, Diana Fischer and I teamed up with a few designers. But, most importantly, by dropping all luxuries that are normal for shoots – studio, warmth, food – we tried to become more familiar with our models’ personalities.
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Ph ot o: Diana Fisc h e r
What do you associate with a perfect picture? That’s hard to say, especially concerning my own photos. Basically, I realize it the moment I release the shutter: Bingo. When I do sequences, I know exactly which shot was the right one. Anyways, I like the nakedness. And the fierce stare! The model, Anna, is tough. It was -15°C on the glacier, but she took her clothes off no problem. She was fine in the nude, fine with the conditions. Of course she was freezing, seriously freezing. And no goose bumps. Probably because the picture is inten tionally not 100% focused. She had goose bumps. You obviously can’t do scenes like that with every model. And the project only worked out thanks to my partner Diane Fischer. She’s a make-up artist and has a model agency. I could never have done the project without her.
And? Did you succeed? For example, the picture of the model in the black neoprene miniskirt wading through a mud moraine was very well received. That’s a very nice picture. Her pose seems disgusted and yet vulnerable. But not like the Gletscherweib. What is the Gletscherweib? A mythical figure, a legend. The secretive woman. According to my research, a kind of alpine Red Sonja. The tough girl, Anna. Apart from your dream, was there any other intention behind this project? A second foothold as a photographer? I mainly take pictures of people for advertising and luxury hotels. Those are my two footholds. For Cheers Magazine, I wanted to show work which has not been published otherwise. But I doubt I’ll be able to make money from the Gletscherweib project. Why not? We presented these pictures to several big agencies. They all liked them, but couldn’t imagine clients being ready for this kind of photography. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of exaggeration or overstatement, we had nothing to lose. But in the end, it all boils down to market compatibility. That’s where Cheers comes in. A play ground for photographers. How did you become a photographer? I studied media pedagogy… Where? In Freiburg. Freiburg because it’s in the Southwest of Germany and therefore the closest German city to Chamonix.
The Mecca for Ice Climbers. Exactly. Actually, I always wanted to be a photographer. During my studies, I did a few jobs; afterwards I worked as an assistant for a photographer and since then I’m a freelance photographer. Was the start difficult? A fellow student with whom I did my exams started working for an advertising agency. I did my first two campaigns with him which obviously was a great start. Then, I travelled around the world quite a bit, photographed luxury hotels and offered the pictures to magazines. They always accepted them. And you brought along the hotels as clients. Yes, except for those hotels that figured out it would pay off to book me directly. At the same time, I built a client base for people stories and for lifestyle interior decoration. Do you feel at home in the world of luxury? I feel at ease because that world hardly interests me personally. These are playgrounds that I play on, and when I leave, I leave the luxury behind. I do not want luxury, as I’m not focused on belongings. In that sense, I probably resemble the chefs I take pictures of. The master chefs? They are hard workers and they need those money playgrounds in order to live out their creativity. There’s an interesting empathy between us. Marketing departments always present them as difficult, as divas. But when I’m in their kitchens, things work out fine. Meaning? You encounter them in their kitchens, and I enjoy kitchens. They work, and I take pictures. In my eyes, photographers and chefs share a similar profession. It’s hard and beautiful work; ideally you attain an esthetically beautiful result that pleases either the taste buds or the eye. It’s not art, it’s business. It’s not art? I take pictures, photos. Judging them is in the eye of the beholder. It’s up to anyone to decide if it’s art or not. Some chefs probably see themselves as artists or at least as avant-garde; and are probably not easy to handle. For example the one mentioned on your website who didn’t serve you food.
Meaning specifically? In my opinion, the combination of photos and moving pictures offers new challenges for photography. I believe that this is developing before our eyes. What do you mean by moving pictures? I don’t mean film. I don’t think photographers will make real movies, but rather clips. Many photographers have, for example, done music clips. Such as your role model Peter Lindbergh who made the video »Unsterblich» for the Toten Hosen? I was thinking about the hotel sector and image campaigns; tourism for example. More and more hotels include short movies on their websites, and I’m starting to get involved in that area. It’s a new challenge: Even in a short clip, you have to tell a story. This will involve more directing in and for photography, and you’ll need models that can talk. So, will photographers die out? No. But only the superstars will be able to position themselves exclusively as photographers. Everyone else will have to adapt and develop.
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That was in Barcelona. Ferran Adrià. He’s a media chef who sometimes has two photo shoots a day. Where photographers are simply channeled through? Exactly. But I’ve experienced worse. Some welcome you with the announcement that they have one hour and not a minute longer. Being a typical Leo, I just bite the bullet. One hour? That’s a tight schedule. Who was that? Reinhold Messner. Actually, I was very much looking forward to meeting him. As a climber, he used to be my idol. But after that start, I wanted to leave straightaway. The journalist doing the interview tried to calm the situation. Later on, when Messner declared himself a very capable writer who had written all there is to know about him, it was her turn to bite the bullet. So, did things work out ok? Idiotically, the editorial office made the mistake of putting Messner’s name down as the photographer instead of mine. Ouch! Of all stories! Five double pages about one of my idols – I would definitely have liked to see my name there! What does a photographer do in situations like that? You negotiate compensation. How do you see your professional future? That’s the crucial question. Altogether, I’m satisfied. But satisfaction is hardly my kind of motivation. Instead, I constantly strive for innovation.
Interview by Karin Schickinger, Journalist and Crime Author from Freiburg | www.karinschickinger.de
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C he e rs I nt e r v i e w / / C hr isto p h D ü p p e r // www. ch r isto p h d u e p p e r . co m
Ich mache Fotos, Bilder. Soll jeder selbst entscheiden, ob das Kunst ist oder nicht .
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ir treffen uns bei Christoph Düpper zuhause. Renovierter Altbau, sehr hell, etwas kühl. Leicht übersaniert, findet er. Aber die Wohnung gehört ihm nicht. Den Latte Macchiato holt er im Café nebenan. Wir setzen uns in die Küche, das ist sein Lieblingsort. Ich nehme an einer Theke Platz, er auf der Arbeitsplatte neben dem Ceranfeld. Wie Christoph Düpper da so sitzt in seinem weißen Hemd, hat er etwas von einem Koch. Später wird er von seiner Verbundenheit mit diesem Berufsstand erzählen. Den Anfang aber machen die Gletscherweiber.
Cheers // Wie kamst du auf diese ungewöhnliche Idee mit den Gletscherweibern? Christoph Düpper // Es waren Fieberträume. Ich kam von einem Job aus Afrika zurück, lag mit vierzig Grad Fieber im Krankenhaus und hatte Träume von Eis und Frauen, tatsächlich gefesselt. Kurze Zwischenfrage: Woher genau kamst du und was für eine Krankheit hattest du? Ich kam aus Sambia und bekam von einer Sekunde auf die andere Schüttelfrost … Hattest du keine Angst, dass es eine schlimme Tropenkrankheit sein könnte wie Ebolafieber oder so? Zuerst dachte ich, es wäre Malaria. Aber als klar wurde, das war es nicht, hatte ich schon Angst. Zum Glück schlugen die Antibiotika an, es musste also eine bakterielle Geschichte gewesen sein, und nach einer Woche war der Spuk vorbei. Und in dieser Fieberzeit hast du konkret von Eis und Frauen geträumt? Running Title // Mountain Regular 9 pt Head & Subhead // Mountain Regular 38 pt / 36pt Initial // Marcelle Script Regular 110 pt Copy // GringoSans LightNarrow 11 pt / 5 mm Copy Bold // GringoSlab MediumNarrow 11pt / 5mm Type Specs // GringoSans LightWide 6 pt / 3mm
Als Hintergrund muss man erwähnen, dass ich jahrelang geklettert bin, hauptsächlich im Winter. Eisgeklettert? Eisgeklettert und kombinierte Wände aus Eis und Fels. Ich habe mich lange geweigert, die Berge auch beruflich ins Auge zu fassen, meine Kunden nie in der Szene gesucht. Nach diesem Traum dachte ich, bring doch einmal deine beiden Leidenschaften zusammen, die Berge und auch die People-Fotografie. Es war einfach fällig. Konkret wollte ich nur ein einziges Bild umsetzen. Welches war das? Das Bild mit der Frau mit dem nackten Oberkörper im Gletschertor und dem Strick in der Hand. Das hat ja weniger etwas von gefesselt als von sich befreiend … Ja, das ist schon richtig, in dem Bild ist eine Befreiungspose drin. Was verbindest du mit dem Foto, wenn du meinst, genau das ist es? Das fällt mir schwer zu sagen bei einem Bild, das ich selbst gemacht habe. Ich merke in dem Moment, in dem ich auf
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ana und ich geschaut, wo wir die Kleider herbekommen, haben den ein oder anderen Designer eingespannt. Aber das Wichtigste war, dass wir versuchten, näher an die Persönlichkeiten der Models heranzukommen, indem wir auf allen Luxus verzichteten, der normalerweise bei solchen Shootings dabei ist: Studio, Wärme, Essen. Ist es euch gelungen? Sehr gut kommt beispielsweise das Bild vom dem Model an, das im schwarzen Neopren-Minikleid barfuß durch eine Schlamm-Moräne watet. Ein total schönes Bild. Ihre Körperhal tung wirkt angeekelt und gleichzeitig verletzlich. Aber nicht wie das Gletscherweib. Was ist das Gletscherweib? Eine Sagengestalt, ein Mythos. Die unheimliche Frau. Meinen Recherchen nach halb rote Zora, halb Älplerin. Die Toughe. Anna. Lag außer deinem Traum noch eine andere Absicht hinter diesem Projekt? Sich ein neues Stand bein als Fotograf aufzutun? Hauptsächlich fotografiere ich Menschen für die Werbung und Luxushotels. Das sind meine beiden Stützpfeiler. Das Cheers-Magazin möchte ich nutzen, um Arbeiten zu zeigen, die so noch nirgends erschienen sind. Es ist aber nicht sehr wahrscheinlich, dass sich darüber eine Möglichkeit auftut, damit Geld zu verdienen. Warum nicht? Wir haben diese Fotos in großen Agenturen präsentiert. Sie fanden die Bilder gut, konnten sich aber keinen Kunden vorstellen, der für so eine Art von Fotografie bereit wäre. Ich bin der Meinung, man kann ruhig einmal etwas überhöhen und überspitzen, wir hatten ja nichts zu verlieren. Aber letztendlich wird alles auf seine Markttauglichkeit eingedampft.
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den Auslöser drücke: Das ist es. Wenn ich eine Sequenz fotografiere, weiß ich genau, wann ich den richtigen Schuss habe. Hm, auf jeden Fall gefällt mir die Blöße … Dazu der kämpferische Blick! Das Model Anna ist auch eine ganz Toughe. Auf dem Gletscher waren fünfzehn Grad minus und sie hatte sich schneller ausgezogen, als ich schauen konnte. Sie hatte keine Probleme damit, nackt zu sein. Und auch keine Probleme mit den Umständen. Natürlich hat sie gefroren, total gefroren sogar. Und es ist keine Gänsehaut zu sehen. Das liegt wahrscheinlich daran, dass das Bild bewusst nicht hundert Prozent scharf ist. Sie hatte eine Gänsehaut. Aber solche Aufnahmen gehen nicht mit jedem Model. Und das Projekt funktionierte nur aufgrund meiner Partnerin, Diana Fischer. Sie ist Make-up Artist und hat eine Modelagentur. Ohne sie hätte ich das Projekt nie realisieren können. Wie kamen die anderen Bilder zustande? Es sind doch sehr unterschiedliche Motive. Nach dem ersten Foto wurde es ein Selbstläufer. Wir sagten, wir machen das jetzt eine Zeit lang, das ist unsere Spielwiese. Wir gehen in die Berge und produzieren ein People-Fashion-Port folio. Mit toten Schweinen auf Schlitten? Das Bild mit dem toten Schwein war unsere Neujahrskarte. Es sollte das Glücksschwein sein, das wir für unsere Kunden gefangen hatten. Eine bewusste Provokation, die aber trotzdem gut ankam. War wohl nicht provokant genug. Vielleicht sind die Leute auch schon zu sehr an Provokationen gewöhnt? Provokation ist heute nichts Besonderes mehr. Für die anderen Bilder haben Di-
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Dafür gibt es ja jetzt Cheers. Damit sich Fotografen austoben können. Wie bist du Fotograf geworden? Ich habe Medienpädagogik studiert … Wo? In Freiburg. Freiburg deshalb, weil es die südwestlichste Großstadt Deutschlands ist und damit die kürzeste Entfernung zu Chamonix hat. Dem Mekka der Eiskletterer. Genau. Ich wollte aber immer Fotograf werden. Während des Studiums habe ich ab und zu Jobs gemacht, anschließend ein Jahr als Assistent eines Fotografen gearbeitet, und bin seitdem selbständig. War der Anfang schwer? Ein Studienkollege, der mit mir abgeschlossen hat, begann in einer Werbeagentur. Und mit ihm habe ich im ersten Jahr zwei Kampagnen fotografiert, das war ein Superstart. Danach bin ich frei um die Welt geflogen, habe Luxushotels fotografiert, die Bilder hinterher Magazinen angeboten, und diese wurden auch immer genommen. Und die Hotels gleichzeitig als Kunden mitgewonnen. Ja, bis die Hotels auf die Idee kamen, dass es sich für sie mehr lohnt, mich direkt zu buchen. Parallel dazu hat sich eine Kundschaft für People-Geschichten entwickelt und im Lifestyle-Interieurbereich. Fühlst du dich im dem Luxusmilieu wohl? Ist das deine Welt? Ich fühle mich wohl, weil diese Welt mich privat kaum interessiert. Es sind Spielwiesen, die ich bespielen kann, und wenn ich sie wieder verlasse, brauche ich diesen Luxus nicht. Ich will ihn nicht besitzen, denn ich bin nicht besitzorientiert. Da geht es mir wahrscheinlich ähnlich wie den Köchen, die ich fotografiere. Den Sterneköchen? Sie sind harte Arbeiter und brauchen diese Spielwiese des Geldes, um ihre Kreativität ausleben zu können. Es gibt eine hochinteressante Empathie zwischen den Köchen und mir. Sie werden mir von Marketingseite immer als sehr schwierig beschrieben, als Diven, und wenn ich dann in die Küche komme, ist schnell alles klar.
Das heißt? Du begegnest ihnen ja in ihren Küchen und ich bin gern in Küchen. Sie arbeiten und ich fotografiere sie dabei. Ich finde, Fotografen und Köche verbindet ein ähnlicher Job. Er ist anstrengend und wunderschön, hat im Idealfall ein ästhetisch schönes Ergebnis, das man auf der Zunge spürt oder mit dem Auge genießt. Das ist keine Kunst, sondern ein Geschäft. Keine Kunst? Ich mache Fotos, Bilder. Die Bewertung liegt im Auge des Betrachters. Soll jeder für sich selbst entscheiden, ob das Kunst ist oder nicht. Es gibt wahrscheinlich schon Köche, die sich als Künstler empfinden oder zumin dest als Avantgarde. Und die nicht so einfach sind. Bei denen du, wie du auf deiner Website schreibst, nichts zu es sen bekommst. Das war in Barcelona. Ferran Adrià. Das ist ein Medienkoch. Der hat schon mal zwei Fototermine an einem Tag. Da wird man als Fotograf einfach durch geschleust … Genau. Aber da gibt es Schlimmere, die gleich zur Begrüßung sagen: Sie haben genau eine Stunde. Dann bin ich ganz Sternzeichen Löwe, da balle ich die Faust in der Hosentasche. Eine Stunde, das ist knapp. Wer war das? Reinhold Messner. Dabei hatte ich mich total gefreut, ihm zu begegnen. Für mich als Kletterer war er der Held meiner Jugend. Aber nach der Begrüßung wollte ich sofort wieder gehen. Die Journalistin, die für den Interviewpart zuständig war, versuchte zu beschwichtigen. Später ballte sie selbst die Faust. Als er ihr erklärte, dass er selber schreiben kann und über sich schon alles selbst geschrieben hätte. Schlussendlich waren wir fünf Stunden bei ihm.
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Dann ist die Geschichte ja noch gut ausgegangen. Dummerweise haben die in der Redaktion einen Fehler gemacht und in die Fotozeile statt meinem Namen Reinhold Messner geschrieben. Autsch! Und das bei der Story! Fünf Doppelseiten über eines meiner Idole – da hätte ich schon gern meinen Namen gesehen. Was macht man in so einem Fall als Fotograf? Um einen Ausgleich verhandeln. Wie stellst du dir deine Zukunft als Fotograf vor? Das ist die Masterfrage. Also, ich bin zufrieden. Aber Zufriedenheit ist nicht unbedingt das, was mich antreibt. Dafür brauche ich immer wieder etwas Neues. An was denkst du? Ich glaube, dass Foto in Kombination mit Bewegtbild neue Aufgaben für Fotografen bringt. Ich glaube, dass diese Entwicklung direkt vor der Tür steht. Was verstehst du unter Bewegtbild? Ich will das Wort Film nicht in den Mund nehmen, denn ich glaube nicht, dass Fotografen richtige Filme drehen werden. Eher Clips. Viele Fotografen haben Musikvideos gedreht. Wie dein Vorbild Peter Lindbergh das Video »Unsterblich» von den Toten Hosen. Ich dachte bei mir eher an den Hotelbereich und Imagekampagnen beispielsweise im Tourismus. Immer mehr Hotels stellen kleine Videos auf ihre Website. Ich fange an, mich damit zu beschäftigen. Es ist eine neue Herausforderung: Auch bei kurzen Sequenzen musst du eine kleine Geschichte erzählen, die Regieaufgaben, die du beim Fotografieren hast, werden wachsen, und du brauchst Models, die sprechen können. Werden Fotografen aussterben? Nein, aber es wird nur noch den Superstars vorbehalten bleiben zu sagen: Ich, ich kann nur fotografieren. Alle anderen werden sich weiterentwickeln müssen.
Das Interview führte Karin Schickinger, Journalistin und Krimiautorin aus Freiburg | www.karinschickinger.de
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Concept & P hot ography: C h ris to p h D ü p p e r // www.c h ris to p h d u e p p e r. c o m M odels : Ja n in e S , An n a L, E ka ta rin a E , Ju lia F , Ju d i t h Z Mo d e l Age n c y: XS ICHT // www.xs ic h t . c h Ha ir & Ma ke u p : D ia n a F isc h er
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Typ
v i su a l language — font s in us e
Brugger
// 2005
by Boris
Kahl
// 2006
Mountain by Dan
Reynolds
// 2005
Gringo is a type family
Filou is a genuine bastard
Mountain is a digital
that contains 27 different
inspired by three different
revival and extension of
varieties. It is divided
typefaces.
Teutonia, an old metal
into three groups: Sans,
It consists of three weights:
typeface released by the
Slab and Tuscan.
»Regular«, »Medium«
Roos & Junge type foundry
Tuscan = Europe – Texas.
and »Extra« that can easily
(Offenbach am Main,
Gringo won 3rd place
be combined.
Germany) in 1902. Teutonia’s
pE
in the »tdc2 2006 award«
design was popular during
by the Type Directors Club
both the Art Nouveau and
New York.
the Constructivist eras, where similar letterforms were in use as far away as
Ch eer s — su ppo rted by V olc ano Ty pe
the Soviet Union.
www.myf onts .c om
by Peter
Filou
www.volcano-type.de | Text by M yF onts
Gringo
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Changing Perspectives Why does a photographer explore an underground construction site? A marketing job. A series on underground construction at Zürich Central Station and the Gotthard Tunnel was the byproduct of this job. It’s crucial for this kind of photography that it be guided by a personal interest, an interest in finding and telling a story. Why does a photographer do a tricky shooting on an alpine glacier? In this case, the picture’s motif preceded the shooting. The interest can be selfish, the story comes second. With her right arm raised in the air, Anna, the model, takes on a cathartic pose and is vaguely reminiscent of Eugène Delacroix’s »Liberty«. But the context is a private one. Instead of the Tricolore, the model is holding a rope, possibly tied to something. This hints at a bondage game, somewhere between captivation and eroticism. Gesture and mimic show her strong ego.
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Ch e e r s E ssay //
Modes of Perception Fleeting Moments and Discourses / / b y W i nfr i e d Ru st
P
hotography has transformed how we view and perceive pictures. Digital photography is the next step. But what exactly has changed in recent years concerning the omnipresence, production and perception of photographs?
In 1963, in post-war Germany, Heinrich Böll remarked: »I am a clown and I collect moments.« This is one of the most famous quotes from the novel »The clown« and the self-understanding it expresses was an affront to the standard life script of an employee focusing on earning his living. The sentence still stands today only because it alludes to a utopia: A life that collects moments. The concept of collecting moments defines a way of life and does not necessarily refer to photography. Nonetheless, photography can be understood as collecting moments. Actually, a better definition of photography is hardly possible: Visible objects are captured in a moment. With the right setting and the photographer’s capability, this results in a picture that carries a message. Over our age of mass production, the cost for producing and using cameras has dropped significantly. The ancient cultural technique of producing images has become ubiquitous. Many of us no longer even leave our homes without a camera phone. The internet puts millions of pictures at our disposal. Spiegel Online’s section »Augenblick« (moment) includes snap-shots from around the world. Commuters in Indonesia getting on board the roof of an overcrow-
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ded train. A bungee jumper in Siberia jumping from a 44 meter bridge. A Chinese pupil participating in a noise competition screams into a sound level meter. One picture shows a participant in a 149 kilometer wheel barrow race in Queensland, Australia. Pages like these deliver image bites. Nevertheless, these puzzle pieces can be inspiring even for those who focus on coherence and rationality. Furthermore, many of these moments are aesthetically pleasing. Thanks to photography, the creation of images has become democratized. Digital photography is taking things a step further. Image editing is easier and more com prehensive, and the amount of available pictures is ever-increasing. Many people collect moments on their memory cards on a daily basis. Today, digital cameras have become a part of everyday communication. Sitting in a Café, a woman takes a picture of her date with a camera phone, and he, jokingly, takes a picture of her. They look at and delete the pictures; the surroundings
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The learning process is not yet concluded and now has to be adapted to digital technology: On the »Daily Mail« website, Britney Spears published several unedited bikini pictures next to airbrushed ones. The intention was to relieve the pressure on young women. Arrows point to the digitally enhanced body parts and explain where her bottom was made smaller and which tattoo had been removed. She obviously looks pretty good on the untouched pictures as well. Young women who measure their value in comparison to pop stars are hardly to be envied. But our focus is on reality. Are pictures of pop stars lies? In fact, that can hardly be denied. The lying starts when a singer pretends to construct a storyline on stage. But unmasking these lies is futile and will only lead to manipulation allegations, when, in fact, objective reality or the real Britney Spears hardly even matter. Britney Spears doesn’t become Britney Spears until she produces herself in her role as a technically enhanced artist. Pictures like these always carry a combination of lie and truth. In order to keep up with technical progress, we have to learn how to re-view. Why shouldn’t we prefer the enhanced image of Britney Spears over the unedited version? Why should we measure ourselves according to others (enhanced or not)? You’ll never see the real Britney, not even in unedited pictures; she’ll always be an artificial product, a representation, a fairy tale. So what? We have long been aware of the fact that seemingly real people won’t suddenly jump out of a picture. Why shouldn’t we be able to learn that pictures of stars have been edited?
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hardly take notice. Viewing and even creating images have been integrated into everyday interaction. That statement would hardly have been conceivable in the 1980s. But: While being collected, the moment itself is possibly disesteemed. Moments are fleeting. Moments cannot be fully appreciated while trying to collect them. Incessant snapping away might well result in failure to actually grasp those moments that are being collected. In a nutshell: This leads neither to contemplation nor to good pictures. But this is hardly perceived as a problem, and the snapping away continues. Out for a meal? Click. Visiting your grandmother? Everybody say »cheese«! Trip outdoors? Smile! Birthday? Whoever’s not taking pictures, get’s his or her picture taken. Digital gadgets are toys for grownups. If life becomes more a game than a struggle, then that’s obviously a positive effect of technical progress. And digital snapshots actually do create special moments: While mutually taking and looking at pictures, the two Café guests mentioned above in fact deepened their social relationship.
Photography is a Moment
What about Reality? In Germany, people often distinguish between »high« and »low« culture. In his essay »The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction« Walter Benjamin mocked the 19th century reservations towards photography. He quotes a newspaper article from the »Leipziger Anzeiger« that classified photography as a »devilish French art«. After she had won the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, the »Sächische Zeitung« remarked Lena Meyer-Landrut‘s »authenticity«. Her counterpart – the American pop star Lady Gaga – is in contrast »the prototype of a designed global star«, her music »streamlined and artificial«.
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eality is never just simply there, but rather a product of perception and being. A photographer discovers and creates his or her individual image. The viewer in turn sees his or her individual image. Even in the context of the supposedly objective medium photography, the photographer constructs his or her individual version of reality. One version is discovered, another is created. This insight is important when viewing pictures.
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Blending photography and painting Photographs have been airbrushed and edited since the early days of photography. Even portrait paintings (that obviously predate photography) were enhanced and interpreted. Nonetheless, conservative viewers were convinced that photography represented a soulless technology and would only lead to picture manipulation. But while old portrait paintings can be artistically worthless and enhanced, portrait photographs can be works of art that reproduce unenhanced poses. Artists soon started reproducing photographs using paintbrush es. Gerhard Richter painted a white photo frame on the right side of his painting »Neuschwanstein Castle«. The picture appears to show a fairy tale: a white castle with towers in a black-blue sea. But the filmstrip disrupts the fairy tale and reveals the actual motif: a simple post card scenery. Richter used photographs for paintings and screen prints. With just a few brush strokes, the repainted photographs transform landscape sceneries into surrealistic pictures. An often seen photo motif: a path in a spruce forest, on the left a stack of wood. However, oil paint pours into the picture from the right hand side and creates seemingly extraterrestrial shapes. Richter creates pictures using the existing technical media. That’s nothing really new. In this sense, digital photography in fact picks up where humans started etching the first animal images onto stone walls.
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hat about in everyday life? In her article »I have the best job in the world« from the book »Pictures make the man« (Ed. Landesmuseum Koblenz), the photographer Elfriede M. Twardy describes her work in a studio. A client tells her she wants beautiful pictures. The photographer considers it to be her job to highlight the client’s individual characteristics and beauty. On figure photographs, many women want to present themselves erotically, but not in the nude. It’s important for the photographer to help the client find a picture that serves her self esteem. The last step towards the ideal picture is digital enhancement: not only color adjustments or more delicate outlines at the edges; breasts and thighs are digitally toned, the bottom get’s a push-up, the belly shrinks – all without the client knowing. It can hardly be denied that these enhanced pictures are important for the client’s self esteem and show a creative version of the client’s self perception. When taken too seriously however, the
perfect presentation in fact enforces the cultural norm that women are supposed to be perfect and sexy. But is it all lies and deception? Or maybe another case of having to learn and adapt? Just as anything beautiful, enhanced pictures can in fact be a source of pleasure even though they are obviously not reality. The same holds for the first portrait painting, the same holds for every picture.
Express yourself Starting with early portrait photography, people had to produce themselves. And ever since, we’ve all been enrolled in drama school in order to avoid having our picture taken with an odd facial expression, an awkward pose or drooping shoulders. We’ve adopted and adapted poses that present us how we see ourselves or how we would like to be. With image cultivation on the rise, photographs have captured the diversity of life: Flirtatious, dignified, professional, happy. Although every pose, every self expression is only a fleeting moment, the viewer then sees the person’s actual »personality« in the picture. Today and on a daily basis, especially young people self-evidently present themselves in order to create a consistent picture or image. For the internet, the media expert Geert Lovink labeled this behavior »self re-production«. »Express yourself« is a post-modernist slogan. That motto attained fame in a Madonna song, who in turn constantly invents new images for and of herself. Digital photography has democratized this game. People express and re- invent themselves on both sides of the camera. Additionally, digital photography has brought about a quantitative change: Our
consequence, an imageless world. Nonetheless, cultural pessimists assume that only abstinence will bring about an improvement.
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world’s facade is now assembled on Google Earth, Google Images or Facebook. Facebook alone offers uncountable images of people or images of people they would like to be. It takes you on a quick trip around the world, with people everywhere showing the same poses: Some are adventurous, some sexy or just happy; some show a humble smile, some are respectable, some are taking a corner on their Kawasaki. We have a myriad of pictures and images at our disposal and we constantly look at them. Photography is diverse. One photograph coarsens our perception, the next refines it. What hasn’t changed: We still sometimes come across a photo that lights a spark. Overall, the growing exposure to photographs is changing our perceptual apparatus, but it’s hard to tell in which direction it’s heading.
his thought pattern is especially active in petty bourgeois and also green milieus: Today’s pop stars are artificial and only offer synthetic products and manipulated images. Digital technology and its pictures are considered as corruptive influences on civilization. The anxiety about capitalist socialization is thus transferred to postmodern phenomena, in this case to pop culture. In the end, the perspective and desires of a regressive and in fact rightwing anti capitalism would only take us back to a world of simplistic and few pictures.
Are Pictures of Pop Stars Lies?
Cultural Pessimism It’s also hard to assess how digital photography will change how we view and perceive pictures, although somebody is bound to come up with good ex post explanations. Society is made up of social relationships and is therefore erratic. Yes, there are patterns and probabilities … but there’s no »Weltgeist« with a master plan. Anything can happen. Postmodern discourse has spawned different scenarios: Will the democratization of picture production lead to aesthetic progress for mankind? Or are we headed towards an era of manipulative pictures? Picture overkill? A bitmapped world? We are, of course, confronted with annoying lies. Pictures from product advertisement and marketing are – it has to be said – idiotic. But the actual question is: Is technical image modification to blame? Is manipulation a valid category for critique? Are allegations such as »lies« and »stimulus satiation« helpful? Sure, pictures can induce emotional blunting – usually when other worries get out of hand. Sure, people watch too much TV, but TV is hardly the cause considering others hardly watch at all. In fact, the amount of pictures at our disposal is hardly a problem for most of us. Urban humans are used to sorting and filtering stimuli that we encounter on a daily basis. Understanding the anxiety about pictures and images isn’t easy. And that’s why abstinence as a counterstrategy is dangerous. Is a clean sweep necessary? Less is more? That would only lead to dismissing irritating pictures as an affront to a puristic perspective on the world; to proclaiming simplistic virtuousness and, in all
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Advertisement and the Working Man’s Death An attempt at a progressive, critical perspective on the postmodern world of images is nevertheless possible. The slogan »Save 1000 words and inspire your customer with pictures of your products and/or company« is featured on an advertising photographer’s website. The agency’s pictures are trivial. One of their references is a tidy factory with factory machines. Another shows pictures of a panorama restaurant: A well laid table, the employees all lined up, a wine rack… rather miserable altogether. Fine both technically and concerning the intended effect, but what’s that worth? Another event photographer shows glamorous but soulless industrial photo-
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graphs. They represent an image that a company wants to create for itself, resulting in picture production that is determined by a very limited perspective.
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ompare that with the industrial photography of the Düsseldorf photography school. Over the course of years, Bernd and Hilla Becher photographed and arranged cooling towers, factories, head frames, gas tanks and water towers. They compiled comparative series of head frames from different countries, thus drawing new attention to these unnoticed, functional constructions. The photographic composition displays an elaborate linear structure developed from the steel girders and struts. In his photo of a 99 cent discounter, Andreas Gursky transforms a standardized world into an artistic, gaudy picture that transcends the actual motif. The next step is reached when those that actually created or work in this industrial world are shown. Michael Glawogger’s illustrated book »Working Man’s Death« (and the corresponding movie) is a contemporary pictorial about the 21st century working class in the developing world. Glawogger and his photographers compile and arrange the aesthetics, colors and forms in the environs of a smoking sulfuric volcano at Kawa Ijen in Indonesia or of the slaugh terhouse district in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Their main interest and focus is the daily life of the working class. Perfectly arranged pictures of rusty steel rods hatching a brown landscape or of a glowing cloud bringing the environs to life are only shown
when there are people there to tell their stories. A comparison with that advertising photograph of the well laid table might possibly lead to the moral verdict that sociocritical photography is important, while advertising photography is trivial. But Glawogger himself refutes that perspective. His motive is genuine interest, not affirmation or morale. The pictures’ culmination is the former steel mill Duisburg-Meiderich, today part of a landscaped park. Here, he portrays youths kissing and fooling around in front of closed mine, thus envisioning the end of work. His own favorite picture shows a young woman in a bar in Bangkok. She’s leaning on a table, propped up on her elbows, staring exhaustedly into space. The city lights illuminate her weary face. The whole city of Bangkok is reflected in her face and in this moment of »endless melancholy«. In fact, the advertising agency’s well laid table is hardly the problem. There is no such thing as a bad motif for a good picture. Photographs don’t necessarily get better depending on how much meaning they carry. Only shallow pictures are problematic. It’s all about the individual interest behind a picture. And, in our case, advertising reduces the cornucopia of life to its commercial component.
Do we have to learn to re-view?
Cheers – Taybeh-Advert The aesthetics of ruins sometimes contrast with their destructive history. Sometimes they show the effects of time. The weathered bus stop with a beer advert in Palestine takes the onlooker by surprise. The painted advert contradicts familiar prints. You would hardly associate a chilled beer with Palestine. An advertisement has turned into a documentary picture. This kind of moment disarranges the world to a certain extent.
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photo shows a moment. A good photo shows a moment that doesn’t just stand for itself (despite its individuality), but in turn points towards something familiar, something that carries a »meaning«.
Hände, Dali, click Besides technical skill, interest is a prerequisite for good pictures. Take, for example, the photo series »Bodyparts« in Karl Lagerfeld’s book »Parti pris«: Figure photographs of a hand and a face in side face, a shoulder, knee, torso or elbow. The pictures are blurry and – also due to the brown coloring – reminiscent of Michelangelo. By
means of the blurred outlines, Lagerfeld creates an impression of physicality. Compare that with pictures of hands, knees and torsos that turn up on Google Images. Even though they are pin sharp, none of these photos create physical vitality the way Lagerfeld does. The technical potential for maximum sharpness is thus inverted. Technically, the Google pictures are fine, but in contrast to the photographs from »Parti pris«, they don’t communicate. There’s a famous picture of Salvador Dali with disheveled hair, a twirled mustache, wearing a purple striped suit, his fist clenching a cane, eyes wide open, staring provocatively into the camera. His expression would prompt many to switch street sides. The impression in the picture oscillates between genius and madness – a tension that played a major part in Dali’s concept. Robert Higgins took another popular photograph of Dali posing with his pet Ocelot. The Ocelot’s and his own eyes are again wide open. Four eyes stare back at the viewer, the mustache again is twirled upwards, and the cane’s handle is also on view. Dali knew exactly how to achieve recognition and with these photographs found a place in our collective memory – despite the fact that his art had become kitsch.
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Glawogger shows three soot covered miners from the Lenin Coal Mine in the Donets Basin sitting on a stone bench in a steam room after work. They’re naked and seem embarrassed in front of the camera. But they’re looking into the camera; the photographer was apparently able to reassure them. Their legs are either crossed or their hands on their laps. The middle one tilting his head sideways, the other two twisting their legs is reminiscent of the gestures we make when we’re not sure how to pose when being photographed. The exhaustion is almost visibly bearing down on two of the three workers. This forges a bond between the viewer and unfamiliar others as well as an understanding for a distant moment. The photograph prompts an association, sparks emotions. Only an interested photographer is capable of creating this picture.
Do you think in Pictures?
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he picture both transcends the real world public and at the same time conveys something from deep within. To a certain extent, the picture offers the viewer an escape route. Sure, photography can be more radical, but it rarely gets this elusive. It neither creates a thought construction, nor does it open an emotional spectrum. It’s a fleeting moment.
Winfried Rust writes for the weekly newspaper Jungle World and is editor for the north-south-magazine iz3w | www.iz3w.org
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