Things As They

The constitution of place is an act of constant complete overhaul. Construction, demolition, re-construction, expectations, rank growth, barring, trimming, planning, errors, digging, littering, worship, cleaning, disappointment, decay: So many diverging and conflicting interests, layer upon layer, day by day, ad infinitum.
The urban space is condensed time, its present state but a snapshot of past and future stratifications. 



The submitted photographs are an excerpt from my long-term series ‚Things As They‘ that investigates urban and suburban environments with a focus on their emotive features.

For the series, 
I set myself adrift with my camera, keep walking until I am tired enough to let go of conventional patterns of perception and the eye is open to the layers of time embedded in the architectural composition, vegetation and infrastructure. 



It would be easy to dwell on the fruitlessness of past aspirations, the decay of yesterday’s glory or regal oneself with nostalgia in face of the results of seemingly obsolete urban development, discharged structures eaten by rust, overgrown by vegetation or dwarfed by newly built houses. But the constant change and transitory nature of urban surroundings leave plenty of space for small acts of private resistance against failed planning, and public engagement in today’s negotiations over the constitution of tomorrow’s urban space.



The submitted photographs were taken in Japan, China, Italy, Greece and Austria.