photographic series, since 1994
The disciples of the Bechers are the only true master students in photography, a medium which knew no masters. Bernd and Hilla Becher have established standards in architecture photography; they introduced the objective, straight and wellfocused view from the eversame perspective as obligatory. Their series of half-timbering houses, water and mining towers function as a comparative mass examination. With this an objectifying photography turns into a recording machine and at the same time into a medium which conserves a "world order" (just when we understood that there should not be such).
The students of the Bechers (Hütte, Höfer, Struth, Ruff etc. ) work successfully along the concept of their teachers.
Becher discipleship reflects ironically this phenomenon.
- a photographic catalogue of scaffoldings on building sites -
This work starts by following the scheme of the wellknown model, then interrupts the german tradition (german also refering to the portraits by August Sander).
The standpoint changes with every object, the photographic medium adapts itself to its vis-a-vis, not the other way around. The textile covers change the scaffoldings and the surrounding urban space. The facades are turned into art / aesthetic pieces, cause - especially after the covering of the "Reichstag" in Berlin by Jeanne-Claude and Christo - the builders of the scaffoldings care about the colours and materials of the covers.
Putting on "clothings" the buildings win a presence and play a role which exceeds their architectural function. A so called objective perspective cannot deal with such transformed architectures.
The interest of Becher discipleship is rather the representation of the diversity of buildings in disguise than their schematization or comparability. It is about the visualization of an individual standpoint, to position myself as subject and as an author both in the urban as well in the art space.