How It All Began
|
Ich bin 37 Jahre jung, komme aus Deutschland und bin wohl das, was man einen Urban Explorer nennt. Das heißt, ich beschäftige mich hauptsächlich mit der Dokumentation von verfallenen, verlassenen sowie einst vom Menschen geschaffenen Orten.
Die Faszination für alte, leer stehende Gebäude reicht bei mir bis in die Kindheit zurück. Ich erinnere mich noch gute an eine alte Villa im Nachbarort, die Opfer eines Feuers geworden war sowie an ein verwunschenes Hexenhäuschen nahe meines alten Schulsportplatzes. Ein knallorangener Vorhang wehte im zerborstenen Fenster. Wie gerne malte ich mir aus, welche Geheimnisse wohl hinter diesem lauern mochten. Später, mit 16 Jahren, im Jahre 2005, wurde ich stolze Besitzerin meiner ersten Digitalkamera und konnte so nun endlich die ersten Orte fotografisch festhalten. Doch die reine Dokumentation reichte mir persönlich eines Tages nicht mehr aus um der einzigartigen Atmosphäre dieser Orte gerecht werden zu können. Zeitgleich wuchs mein Interesse für die Fotografie. So kaufte ich mir schließlich Anfang des Jahres 2010 meine allererste Digitale Spiegelreflexkamera und arbeitete mich fortan in das Thema der Fotografie sowie in verschiedene Softwareprogramme ein. Die Faszination Orte zu erkunden, die längst vom Menschen verlassen sowie vergessen wurden, hat mich bis heute nicht losgelassen. Damit verknüpfe ich auch die Hoffnung, längst in Vergessenheit geratene Orte sowie deren einmalige Geschichten zumindest immerhin ein Stück weit erhalten zu können. Denn ich denke doch, jede Geschichte ist es wert, gehört zu werden. Nicht nur wir tragen eine einzigartige Geschichte tief in uns, sondern auch eben die Orte, an denen wir Menschen einst lebten und wirkten. |
I'm a 37 years old photographer from Germany, moreover, what's commonly referred to as an urban explorer, therefore mainly focused on documenting man-made places that are abandoned and forgotten.
The fascination for abandoned buildings with all their secrets has developed pretty early and can be dated back to my childhood. I still remember an old villa in the neighboring town that had fallen victim to a fire, as well as a enchanted witch’s cottage near my old school sports field. A bright orange curtain fluttered in the shattered window. How I loved to imagine what secrets might be lurking behind it. But it wasn't before I turned 16 (in 2005) when I finally became the proud owner of my first digital camera, which I started to mainly use for the documentation of forgotten places, e.g. an old factory or a small house in my surroundings. Yet, the mere documentation of those places didn't feel satisfactory enough anymore in order to conserve the unique atmosphere. It is the main reason why I finally bought my first DSRL camera in 2010. From that point on, I've been trying to learn different camera techniques and to use different software programs.
Until today the old fascination concerning forgotten and abandoned places all around us - that somehow enchanted parallel world next to our "real" world - is still living deep inside of me. I'm very thankful for both being able to preserve and in the end being able to tell the story of the one or another almost forgotten location. Stories need to be told. Just like we carry our own stories, so do these old buildings which were once alive just because of us humans.
The fascination for abandoned buildings with all their secrets has developed pretty early and can be dated back to my childhood. I still remember an old villa in the neighboring town that had fallen victim to a fire, as well as a enchanted witch’s cottage near my old school sports field. A bright orange curtain fluttered in the shattered window. How I loved to imagine what secrets might be lurking behind it. But it wasn't before I turned 16 (in 2005) when I finally became the proud owner of my first digital camera, which I started to mainly use for the documentation of forgotten places, e.g. an old factory or a small house in my surroundings. Yet, the mere documentation of those places didn't feel satisfactory enough anymore in order to conserve the unique atmosphere. It is the main reason why I finally bought my first DSRL camera in 2010. From that point on, I've been trying to learn different camera techniques and to use different software programs.
Until today the old fascination concerning forgotten and abandoned places all around us - that somehow enchanted parallel world next to our "real" world - is still living deep inside of me. I'm very thankful for both being able to preserve and in the end being able to tell the story of the one or another almost forgotten location. Stories need to be told. Just like we carry our own stories, so do these old buildings which were once alive just because of us humans.
"You likely would not recognise an urban explorer walking down the street. They come from a wide swath of nations, vocations and backgrounds. Comprising loose networks of practitioners operating under pseudonyms and false identities, the UE scene is a mysterious, secretive, exclusionary and deeply rooted community full of rare camaraderie. The one thing they all share is the desire to find adventure in everyday life. This is the central foundation of place hacking."
(Excerpt from: GARRETT, Bradley L.: Explore Everything - Place-Hacking the City. Verso: London 2013.
"You likely would not recognise an urban explorer walking down the street. They come from a wide swath of nations, vocations and backgrounds. Comprising loose networks of practitioners operating under pseudonyms and false identities, the UE scene is a mysterious, secretive, exclusionary and deeply rooted community full of rare camaraderie. The one thing they all share is the desire to find adventure in everyday life. This is the central foundation of place hacking."
(Excerpt from: GARRETT, Bradley L.: Explore Everything - Place-Hacking the City. Verso: London 2013.
Veröffentlichungen & Referenzen - Publications & References
(Auszüge/Excerpts)
- Barfuss. Das Südtiroler Onlinemagazin (2015): Urban Exploration – Fragments of Time
- Berkemann, K. (2023): Auf der Suche. Kirchen als Lost Places. In: Ruinen. Orte der Transformation. Das Münster (03/23). Regensburg: Schnell + Steiner, S.176.
- Creopard.de (2025): Der PC-Spiele Reiseführer für extravagante Orte und Welten.
Online unter: www.creopard.de/der-pc-spiele-reisefuehrer-fuer-extravagante-orte-und-welten.htm - EndZeit Music. Musikprojekt Chemical Reaction (2016): "The Sound of Urban Exploration": YouTube-Video
- Geismann, F. (2017): Braukunst und Baukunst. Die Geschichte der Brauerei Joh. Humbser. In: Berthold, L./Jungkunz K. (Hgg.): Auf in den Süden! Geschichten der Fürther Südstadt. Nürnberg: Sandberg Verlag, S. 174.
- Lost & Found - Der Podcast (2025) - Folge: mit franconiangirl
- Meyer, U. (2019): Harzburger Hof. Die Geschichte eines Grand Hotels. Salenstein: Verlag Benteli, S. 108.