fever dream

New Orleans has always been a city full of extremes. At least since the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the people there have lived in a state of constant threat. The realistic anticipation of the next disaster is omnipresent. In addition to the storm season of the summer months, rising sea levels are causing soccer field-sized chunks of land to sink forever into the Gulf of Mexico not far from New Orleans every hour. A hotel collapsing during construction in the heart of downtown, very high murder rates, or countless videos on social media of road damage and accidents are just a few examples of a seemingly cursed, decrepit, and in many ways defective environment.

Perhaps that's why those who don't fit anywhere else in the system and have nothing to lose find a home there. Queerdos, as they call themselves; travelers who wandered restlessly across the country in search of a life free of convention. Katrina created gaps that offered easily accessible shelter. Fueled by the tolerant and warm-hearted spirit of the local urban population, a group of unique young people was able to flourish. A rebellious and unruly subculture that loves nothing more than art and ecstasy. But the city is like the swamp that surrounds it: Once in it, it's hard for them to get out of it again. The migratory birds have become migrants. They have found their self-chosen community here. A nest, at least for this moment. In this place with an uncertain future, all the energy flows into the here and now.

The photo essay shows the clink and flicker of this magical world on the constant tipping point. It shows a life design so different from everything they left behind. The photos seek the closeness of the wayward protagonists and is interested in the political in their everyday life. An everyday life full of intensity and chaos. In this edit the photos are combined with drawings and collages of the printed pictures by members of the community.