Newsletter #1
starting a new project
Dear friends and colleagues,
with this newsletter, I want to share more directly what I’m working on, trying to find an alternative to Instagram. Every few months I’ll send a short update, giving some insight into the process behind my new project.
You are receiving this because we’ve met or worked together at some point, and I’d love to keep you updated on what I’m doing. If you’d rather not receive these emails, feel free to unsubscribe anytime via the link below.
New Project
A week ago, I returned from the first trip for my new project. (still need a title..)
The idea behind it is quite simple : I want to travel once all around Germany, following the borders, to see from the edges what is currently moving this country — and how the border shapes both the lives of people and the surrounding landscape.
Borders themselves often remain abstract. They are meant to define a region and make aspects of its identity visible, yet at the same time they can divide and exclude.
I grew up in a Europe without borders. I consider the reintroduction of border controls in Germany in September 2024 to be a step backwards and I question its usefulness. The political climate in Germany concerns me. I want to explore this and find a form of expression for these tensions through photography.
Thanks to the support of a grant from VG Bild-Kunst, I’ve finally been able to set out and begin. My first trip took me east, to Upper Lusatia. The beginning of a project always feels a bit strange to me - so many questions remain open, everything is still abstract, and there isn’t a single picture yet. That’s why I’m really excited that my films are already back from the lab and I’ll be able to scan them soon.
Teaching
On top of that, I’m happy to share that I had the chance to dive more into teaching recently. Together with Maximilian and Fabian from our collective DOCKS, I led a five-day seminar at HSD – Hochschule Düsseldorf, teaching about narrative strategies in documentary photography, ethics and morals in photojournalism, and everyday life as a freelance photographer. I was also invited, together with Aliona, to run a short workshop “graduation – what’s next?” as part of the Ostkreuzschule graduation show in Berlin, kindly supported by Nikon DACH.
In the near future I’ll be teaching two more workshops.
The open call for the first one is already online. I’m excited to join this team as a mentor. With the support of Journalismfund.eu, MÓN is launching the educational program “Visual Storytelling & Environmental Memory”, aimed at emerging visual journalists across Europe who want to develop or expand a documentary reportage on memory and the environment.
You can find all details and the open call here: open call
That should be enough for now. I’m still getting used to how newsletters and Substack work, and I hope you’re interested in following me along this process.
If you have any tips related to my borders project (interesting places or people) I would be grateful if you share it with me!
Thanks again for your support, and no shame at all if this isn’t your thing and you’d like to unsubscribe.
arnepiepke.com