Independence can become loneliness through the passage of time.Industrial builings are archetypal of this development. They start with a dream in the head of an architect. During their heyday, they symbolise wealth, success and independence. After their closure they become lonely ghost towns and a symbol for the transience of dreams.
The pictures show a space in transition: a former industrial zone, which was reclaimed by nature and man after the abandonment of industrial activity. Strictly ordered activity was replaced by anarchic, improvised behavior. Values and content have been redefined.
Luxury furniture — once symbols of control, status, and domesticity — is now exposed to wind and weather in wild arrangements. A leather sofa lies overturned on gravel and covered with graffiti, instead of standing in a living room around a cozy fire as intended. Comparable to a misplaced throne, a lounge chair stands in front of a barbecue, flanked by a graffiti-sprayed lifebuoy.
The visual contrast between the anarchic, chaotic foreground and the clean lines of the brightly lit industrial workplace in the background adds to the tension between establishment and rebellion.
A Vespa — once an icon of the style-conscious British mod culture and the elegance of the Italy of Gina Lollobrigida — now serves as an improvised support for a broken fence, smeared with graffiti and stripped of its headlights.
A Berkel — once a symbol of craftsmanship, precision, quality and timeless elegance — lies hidden behind shipping containers and forever displays 19 kilos.
A classic bicycle — once the dream of boys and girls — now stands with a sadly dangling dynamo, functionless because its owner has tied it to ship chains for eternity.
A dandelion breaking through concrete stairs that were once built for “eternity” – and thus underlines the message of the anarchist tag in the background.
A constant tension between order and anarchy.
In 1893 Amélie Zürcher had a dream that the underground below had more potential to nourish her family than the farm she was living on.
The drillings uncovered not the expected oil but potash, which exploitation will however shape the landscape, the economy and the people of the region for the next century.
The exploitation of the 26 mines began in 1904 and survived two world wars, was hit by accidents and strikes and the area changed country between Germany and France four times.
At the beginning of the 21st century the production ceased and the mines had become dilapidated or demolished.
Half a century after its closure a group of former miners continues to maintain the remains of the machines and buildings of Rodolphe II and thereby keeps the memory of the rise and fall of the mining history in Alsace alive.
The racing track Reims-Gueux (France), ran over roads that were open to the public the rest of the year. Created in 1926 it was one of the most important French racing tracks which hosted eleven Formula 1 races and famous 12 hour races. At its time it was one of the fastest racings tracks of Europe with an average speed of 240 km/h.
At the end of the 1960’s security requirements increased and made the hosting of races on public roads no longer financially viable. The last Formula 1 race was in 1966, the last car race in 1969 and the last motorbike race in 1972.
