06.11.2013

Wastelands in Berlin

06.11.2013

Wastelands in Berlin

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ostkreuz01

In 2007 I left Vienna and arrived at my new hometown, Berlin. A lot of things were different: it was greener, broader, more expansive, more street life, quite a few language barriers which were accompanied by a friendly smile: there was just more happening, a never ending wealth of inspiration.

From the beginning, however, it was the urban wastelands which fascinated me most. Abandoned areas in the middle of the city which seemed to have been vegetating for years. In a way, this is nature reclaiming that which had previously been taken from her. In such places one feels that time has stood still and is conserved, although all around everything is revolving and changing at great speed. To me, they seem to be almost magic

elsenbruecke_wasteland
Oases of peace which give air to breath in a metropolis.

My old Agfa medium format folding camera is my constant travel companion in my bag, together with my Gossen light meter which is of a similar age. As far as photography is concerned, I’m pretty much stuck on the analog track. The various colors are so much more real, so much more alive – I tend to see a memory, a picture in my head, as an analog photograph, it could never be a digital one. Moreover, I have a passion for old cameras and love playing around with their faults. I like their imperfections which are hard to control. For example bellows with holes in them – the light which enters as a result can present an opportunity to play with this random process.

wasteland_lichtenberg

My project “Pieces of Berlin” started with me wanting to discover and document places which were important to me personally – something like a diary, so that I would not forget anything.

potsdamerplatz01

Quickly I realized that, unfortunately, these wastelands are in danger of becoming extinct. Every year more of these areas disappear and have to make room for money, i.e. large-scale building projects. Therefore Berlin is in danger of losing many of its distinctive features and becoming a super-slick city, just like thousands of others. However, fortunately it hasn’t quite come to that yet and despite everything, these wastelands still exist in some places. One of my favorites is an abandoned former football pitch near the S-Bahn train station Ostkreuz at Rummelsburger Bucht, although it is quite probable that a motorway will be built here in the near future.

stralau02

Another impressive abandoned area located centrally can be found directly next to the S-Bahn tracks between Ostbahnhof and Jannowitzbrücke. It is these contrasts which Berlin reveals that show how multidimensional and diverse this city is. There are an infinite number of places to discover and there are so many surprises. The way I see it, Berlin is a conglomerate of 1000 villages which together form a world metropolis.

Florian Reischauer

Florian Reischauer has been living and working as a photographer in Berlin since 2007. Pieces of Berlin, a blog about everyday life in Berlin, is one of his main projects.
Portfolio: www.florianreischauer.com
Blog: www.piecesofberlin.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Pieces.of.Berlin
Twitter: @piecesofberlin

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