Amsterdam - revisited

BLUE VEINS | The Raconteurs

When I was surrounded by the world
You were the only one who came
And you were the only one astounded
Which kept me grounded
As the other people trashed my very name

Then I looked over
Just in time to see you smiling back at me
And saying everything's OK
As long as you're inside my blue veins
Your blue veins

Yeah and the feeling that you gave me
No matter what I do or where I go
It always will remain
And those who would enslave me to get to me
Must get past you and will have no luck
Cause you'll protect me from all pain

The most beautiful, yeah the most beautiful thing
Cause anything else can't compare
Must be the blood that's running through your blue veins
Your blue veins

Your blue veins

And I know you won't deceive me
Like the rest and there's nothing you need to explain
You always were the first one to believe me
When I said to you
I think it's gonna rain
But I could be wrong

Yeah but all of these things
All these things
They're all truly nice but ain't nothing
Ain't nothing compared to the love
That's running through your little blue veins

Your blue veins

[Blue Veins | The Raconteurs]

What's Next?

„So what do we do to remain sane and to survive? Filter the overwhelming amount of imagery in such a way that it might be useful, first having decided that usefulness is a priority, as opposed to distraction. If we are, in a sense, in a boat with holes trying to stay afloat (there is no shore), we can either diagnose the problems to try and fix them, or pretend that the holes, and the boat itself, do not exist - or prematurely resign ourselves to our inability to fix anything. In a consumerist society this would be viewed as normal behaviour (just buy another one); last century we would have called it nihilism....“

Fred Ritchin in „What‘s Next?“ | FOAM Magazine

It hurts...

The uniqueness of your shoes and other sincere and true tales

С Новым годом 2011

Vorfreude

emerg‘e | Onlinemagazin für jungen Fotojournalismus

My story on the „War in Caucasus“ is now featured in the new online magazine for photojournalism emerg‘e.

Here is the link:

http://www.emerge-mag.com/2010/12/war-in-caucasus/

Bereit | Gedicht von Corinna Felski

Bereit

Gejagt von den Winden des Tages
Erstarrt im Fett der Zeit
Geduckt vor dem Aufprall der Zahlen
Ich bin noch nicht bereit

Geborgen in den Hüllen
der Wohlanständigkeit
Den Schrank bis zur Neige füllen
Ich bin noch nicht bereit

Wohin wenn die Hüllen splittern?
Wohin vor dem Rauschen der Zeit?
Im Morgen die Gestern verwittern
Bin ich denn dann bereit?

[Corinna Felski, Dezember 2010]

„Every cockroach is beautiful to its mum...“ Neapolitan Proverb

Wisdom from Lewis Carroll

Alice: "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

The Cheshire Cat: "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."

Alice in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll

Unshared Moments

Unshared Moments

I woke up and saw the first snow today
The flakes descended gracefully
Later the sun kissed the morning fog away
And powdered trees stood proudly in the fields
It elated me and made me beam with happiness
But you‘re not here with me - you‘re far away

It is those days that it hurts to love you
It is those unshared moments that I deplore

Today I saw a little girl playing in the streets
She sang a beautiful tune
of her home in the mountains
She glanced at me, an orchid in her hair
I smiled back but soon I realised
that you‘re still not here with me

It is those days that it hurts to love you
It is those unshared moments that I deplore

And now I am lying underneath the stars
which shine brightly through the night
My bed of hay smells of sweet clover
The air is filled with songs of lust
And soon I will close my eyes
to drift off into vivid dreams
You‘re still far away and not here with me

It is those days that it hurts to love you
It is those unshared moments that I deplore

[From Poems of a „Tortured Mind“ by Roman Beljajev/Роман Беляев; Copyright © 1929 Роман Беляев]

Anka and Oliver at aff | Open Gallery

Tolerance and Weakness

"You will become a tolerant person only, if you accept your own weaknesses"
[Johnny Cash]

My Great-Aunt

"Art cannot be separated from life. We value art not because of the skilled product but because of its revelation of a life’s experience. "
[Robert Henri]

New Book: „7x7 | seven stories in seven images“

My new book „7x7 | seven stories in seven images“ is now available. The idea is to present seven different reportages in seven images each (or diptychs in some cases). Each story contains a short description as an introduction.

It has been designed and printed at „peperoni books“ and the affiliated bookfactory in Berlin who make and design high quality books in low print runs (1 - 100 copies). The quality is excellent and they can do almost any size, design and cover that you can imagine.

Here is the link: http://www.peperoni-books.de/

And below is a glimpse of some of the pages of my book. It can be ordered directly with me or at peperoni books who keep a few copies in store...

War Or Peace... or not?

Prince Andrew only shrugged his shoulders at Pierre's childish words. He put on the air of one who finds it impossible to reply to such nonsense, but it would in fact have been difficult to give any other answer than the one Prince Andrew gave to this naive question.

"If no one fought except on his own conviction, there would be no wars," he said.

"And that would be splendid," said Pierre.

Prince Andrew smiled ironically.

"Very likely it would be splendid, but it will never come about..."

"Well, why are you going to the war?" asked Pierre.

"What for? I don't know. I must. Besides that I am going..." He paused. "I am going because the life I am leading here does not suit me!"

[Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace; Book One; Chapter VI]

Announcement: Opening Night of the "Open Gallery 2010" at the aff on December 4th