Made in Germany, 1998
Made in Germany
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/642979
While studying for a BA in Photography I superimposed images I had taken of the remains of The Berlin Wall, as well as other objects and places that were significant or had a resonance with this subject matter onto photographs of my body.
The work was a means of reflecting on my life in East Berlin where I was brought up, two years after the wall was built. I moved to London in 1992 and each time I return to Germany, shortly before landing at Schönefeld airport, I feel overwhelmed with a sense of my past in a country that no longer exists. Even today, after such a long time without the wall I realise the influence of East Germany’s dictatorial regime and how deep a mark it has left on me. Living my life in England with my family in the pastoral tranquillity of Surrey, I am still very much aware of the key dates in the communist calendar.On these days pioneer songs, socialist poems and slogans from the banners of Government organised celebrations still creep through my head. I now find this somehow comical, singing them in the shower or to myself on long walks along the canal in Surrey. The 9th November 1989, the day the wall unexpectedly opened still has a genuine profound resonance.
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/642979
While studying for a BA in Photography I superimposed images I had taken of the remains of The Berlin Wall, as well as other objects and places that were significant or had a resonance with this subject matter onto photographs of my body.
The work was a means of reflecting on my life in East Berlin where I was brought up, two years after the wall was built. I moved to London in 1992 and each time I return to Germany, shortly before landing at Schönefeld airport, I feel overwhelmed with a sense of my past in a country that no longer exists. Even today, after such a long time without the wall I realise the influence of East Germany’s dictatorial regime and how deep a mark it has left on me. Living my life in England with my family in the pastoral tranquillity of Surrey, I am still very much aware of the key dates in the communist calendar.On these days pioneer songs, socialist poems and slogans from the banners of Government organised celebrations still creep through my head. I now find this somehow comical, singing them in the shower or to myself on long walks along the canal in Surrey. The 9th November 1989, the day the wall unexpectedly opened still has a genuine profound resonance.
