An Intimate Moment

I’m wondering: can you publish a photo that clearly shows people? Well … more or less clearly … but I think if that were me, I would recognize myself!
I was on the beach, on the wonderful pebble beach of Anidri. End of the season and still very warm, the air and the water. But significantly fewer people than in the previous months: the tourists are leaving, school has started again.
Crete is the last southern European post with summer heat!
I discreetly position my Illy camera (which contains a sheet of black and white negative film), estimate the exposure time (always 1 second in full sun) and take this photo.
The people speak French. I’m hoping that during that one second they’ll move a little so they’ll blur … but they’re clearly visible. I captured an intimate moment.

Καρυάτιδες

A Nirvana film?

Yes, it began at that bus stop called Nirvana … and somehow it will lead me to the Akropolis where I found a broken temple (of Erechtheion) with roof carrying women statues.
The Kariatides. From Ancient Greek Καρυάτιδες. Carrying a roof? The whole world? Can they still dance to the honour of goddess Artemis?
Stay tuned …

Nirvana In Athena

I was in Athens! In Greece! I was invited for a filmshow and also asked to give a one day workshop. Of course I said yes (and extended my stay after Athens and jumped down to Crete for a 1 week holiday to catch the last summer sun beams!)

The event was a kind of festival called “Balkan-Can-Kino / Festival – 6th Symposium”: The 6th BCK Film Symposium is taking place in October 2023. This year’s theme is KINO LUDENS and through a series of screenings, artistic installations, workshops and parallel events, the Symposium will focus on the presence and the importance of the element of play in the multiple layers of adulthood and everyday life, showcasing interactivity in cinema, not necessarily through new technologies, but through the meaning of game/play in the creation of a cinematic work and its importance in every stage of the production.” This is their website.

However: my film show was great, the gallery packed, the audience happy!



And what about Nirvana?

Whenever I explore a new city, I am very interested in its public transport. Metro! Bus! Tram! I love it! I love to browse the map … and I always succeed in finding interesting station names (like “Pep Ventura” for example in Barcelona).
This time I found a bus stop called “Nirvana / Νιρβάνα”. Of course I had to go there! And start a new film!

Stein! Berg! Kirche!

So at some point, when I was looking at the village sign where my parents live, I thought: “Stein! Berg! Kirche! … Stone! Mountain! Church! … Rock! Paper! Scissors!” …
and a new film idea was born.

3 women playing it, simply having fun. Mountain beats stone, stone beats Jesus (Church) and Jesus divides the mountain.

They played it, I filmed it. Super 8 of course, black and white. It’s been developed and right now waiting to be digitized, then edited. I recorded voices and laughter.

Let’s see what I can tinker!

Thank you, Mama and Antje and Birgit (and my brother who is holding the subtitles!!)

Summer Is Over …

… and my gigantic exhibition is history!
I loved it! People loved it! 10 days … I was there every single day from beginning to end, performing live developings with different soups every day, talking to hundreds of people, swimming in my images and my sounds.
I found out that I am able to spread joy.

Here come some of my favourite pictures, made by me, my brother, Andrea Vollmer and Gabi Stang!

Ode An Juni 2023

Now I start editing my 11th Ode an Juni / Ode to June film!

“In diesem Monat werde ich sehr viel unterwegs sein, Workshops und Filmfestival und Bokel, wo der geheimnisvolle Zirkuswagen steht und seinen Zauber voll entfaltet und wo ich eigentlich hauptsächlich die coolen netten Hühnchen abfilme!
I will be on the road a lot this month … a workshop, a film festival and Bokel, the Bokel, place of the mysterious gypsy caravan which is unfolding its magic … the place of funny and friendly free running chicken!
Und wo es das schönste Freibad von ganz Norddeutschland gibt! They have the most beautiful public pool of North Germany there!”

Shot completely on super 8 (what else …) … it will be about 20 minutes long. Here is some info about all my June films.

6 Gigantic Pinhole Photos

Here they come: 6 pinhole photos, printed on real photo paper, mounted on aluminium-Dibond, covered with a UV protection layer. For my exhibition in August. We were all a bit nervous so we met and opened them together, me and my curators.

They are fantastic. Can’t wait to see them hanging on the wall with some good light spots on them!

Here is the LINK to the exhibition in August in Berlin!