The series was created during an extended stay in the East German village of Sprotta in 2004. 14 years after the reunification of Germany, the photos picture the atmosphere of a small town that seems to be in a state of harmony and domestic activity, where everyone has their place and their duties. In the staged portraits, the figures seem unreal and become characters in a fictional story. What relationships they have to each other and to the locations remains unclear.

The period of 14 years after the reunification was a short timeframe in the development of a changing society. These conclusions can only be drawn retrospectively. In 2023, almost twenty years after the photographs were taken, the images can be read as a document that provides information about the people photographed – with their fears, dreams and desires in an alienating society. This second level in the representation, which excludes the factual and focuses on the imaginary, can be examined today for a reality of that time.

‘Sprotta’ (2004), series of 35 photographs, 45 x 60 cm, C-Prints, 5 + 2 AP.