Departure 1-3

Awakening – Imaginations of change

The work Aufbruch forms a visual trilogy that stages the narrative of letting go, of a departure, of liberation in the successive dramaturgy of its individual images. This is a supra-individual, paradigmatic process; The person in the middle of the images does not embody a concrete person - but acts as an allegory of the experience of emancipatory experiences.

Picture 1 – captured

A scene in front of bright, glaring light: a person moves in the endless mode of a stylized hamster wheel, in a transverse view of the viewer. The dynamic of rotation has no direction - it turns out to be an exhausting standstill: the person is trapped. The bike is on a pedestal. What follows remains unclear and diffuse. Reference to inscrutable, repressive conditions? This picture also shows another dark symbol of limitation and confinement: the subject is surrounded by a frame that appears threatening due to its dark colors.

Picture 2 – come loose

The person is still tied up. But the ciphers of the composition point to a new departure. In the center, a brightly shining circle illuminates the scene, which is already reminiscent of a sun. There is an unmistakable development towards life-giving light. But the person is still in a kind of cage, an oversized trap. She strives to go outside. The composition of the motif with the floor and grids draws the eye to the center. The sphere behind the bright circle appears bluish and cloudy. The person has freed himself from part of his clothing - a clear indication of departure and leaving behind. The frame is still visible, but no longer as dark.

Picture 3 – freed

Soft light and pastel colors generate a new atmosphere - yes, a new lightness of being. The person floats in it. Completely freed from chains and clothing. The past has moved into the underground (the subconscious?) of this imagination: a relic of the cage still lies on the floor and has been overcome. Only the lower part of the picture is limited by the previous frame.

About the composition

The visual narrative of departure, which describes a process of change, is illustrated through a series of image elements. For fine art photography, I chose a clear, concise image structure that opens up space for interpretations and associative perceptions. What is unmistakable is that the person, or better: personification, experiences a process of change as the motifs develop. Initially still trapped, she gradually frees herself from shackles, from limitations, from interrogation. It is the path to positive development.

The viewer has the freedom to imagine what this departure represents: an escape from an oppressive everyday life? Breaking out of structural pressure chambers in professional life? Breaking free from obsessive emotions and thoughts? Relief from trauma? Religious interpretations are also possible.

The process of change is signaled by numerous elements in the image:

- the direction and postures change – first across, then walking and finally floating in a relaxed manner

- the frame is overcome

- the color changes from bright, hard to soft, pastel

- the person walks towards the exit of the trap (away from the bait, away from the temptations), which acts like a corridor and directs the eye to the middle, the center, the essential

- the handcuffs that prevent you from changing direction

- the hamster wheel, which doesn't allow you to move forward, but still robs you of all your energy

- the trap whose bait has lost its attraction and from which the person moves away (towards the exit)

- the clothing that is cramped, a symbol of ballast, is thrown off

Both the model and the separate elements were photographed individually by me and combined into an artistic work using Photoshop.

The images were staged in 2018, but were only published online for the first time in July 2020 and offered for sale in August 2020.

Printout on "aluminum composite brushed in gold color", HD print, with profile suspension from the print service provider "Saal Digital":

Unlimited edition.

Format: 4x3