Issue 20 - In Conversation with .. 9!

How did the idea for "The Three Of Us"
come about? Can you tell us more about
the inspiration behind the book?
Since I am also a filmmaker, I always love to tell
stories that are an escape from daily city life. Being
born in Berlin and growing up in the big city, nature
was always my sanctuary. My first short film
“In Beating Cells” already tells the story of four young
adults, who fall in love with the idea of reuniting with
nature and living their intimate dream at a small lake
in the middle of the forest. A romantic foursome so
to say. And the idea for “The Three Of Us” also came
from that basic storytelling idea. This time it is two
young city guys, who enjoy their time in the
picturesque nature and explore their romantic senses
as soon as they meet a new companion.
Could you elaborate on the significance
of Brandenburg as the setting for your
photography project? What drew you to
this particular location?
Well, it was actually the publisher Björn Koll, who
invited me to his Brandenburg home some years ago.
We wanted to work on a new film idea, using his home
and nature as a setting. Since financing films is a very
complicated and political thing in Germany, we put
our idea aside. But the nature in this particular area of
Brandenburg still catches me. It is an almost
untouched piece of earth, with a lot of wildlife. The
Trees might be several hundred years old. The forests
are some of the biggest in Europe and are full of
history. You might even find ruins of hidden war
shelters in there. So me and Björn developed this idea
of creating a photographic story instead.
"The Three Of Us" is described as an
aesthetic antipode to life in the big city.
Can you expand on this concept and how
it influenced your artistic vision?
As I mentioned, I was born and grew up in the big city,
in 1990. But the fast-living style was never meant for
me. I am a dreamer and more of a thoughtful mind,
and never was interested in techno or drugs, which
Berlin became famous for. The city became more and
more artsy, extravagant and international. Sometimes
I just felt crushed by the visual overload and
competition of art in Berlin.
So instead of trying to compete with many loud or
extravagant artists, that “took over” Berlin, I just
wanted to stick with what I know and dream of and
create more peaceful, quiet and mindful art.
Just like in my book “NUDES”, I wanted to create a
nostalgic feeling, a softness and a very intimate
observation this time as well. The analogue film always
helped me to transport that idea.
Sometimes I see the world in slow motion. Diving into
details, soaking in the atmosphere, and embracing
senses and feelings. Something you forget when you
live your fast big city life. And this should be conveyed
with “The Three Of Us”.
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