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Jens Wiesner
Photographic Distractions
CATSTANBUL
"If you kill a cat, you need to build a mosque to be forgiven by God." Thus goes a popular saying in Turkey.
Indeed, if you wander the cobblestoned streets of Istanbul's Beyoglu, a feline stray is never far away. Belonging to nobody, they must survive on the streets on their own - or rely on the many inhabitants of Turkey's capital for some throwaway meal. But as hard as a life on the street might be - there's always time for some relaxing in the sun.
For more pictures, please visit my flickr page.
KLABAUTER THEATRE
The Klabauter Theatre in Hamburg is a special place. Not because the people acting here are handicapped. But because of the special air of fun, professionalism and freedom, that visitors can breath during one of the many performances in the year.
It was Astrid Eggers who founded this place 15 years ago - a place where handicapped people get professional acting training. "We are no amateur theater, no playhouse - but we create art", tells us the 62-years-old director, herself a longtime-actrice. For many people who come as first-timers, it is a surprise what is accomplished on stage. Even other actors are sometimes suprised by the high standards shown by the actors. "People, we want your interest, your curiosity, and yes, your money, too - but we don't need your pity"
For pictures, please visit my flickr page. Some of these pictures were published in the German newspaper "taz". Katharina Gipp wrote the article, that I cannot reccomend you highly enough. Read it online here.
Street Art
I have never felt at home in art galleries. It's a safe haven for the exhibits, but a place full of limitations for the visitor. Don't eat. Don't drink. Don't touch. And if you draw a moustache on Mona Lisa's face, you'll surely end up in jail. Street art on the other hand is an endangered species: The stencil you saw yesterday can be gone by next week. Destroyed by the rain, pasted over by some Coke ad or remade into something completely new by a creative stranger.
Many of the great works I photographed have already vanished. My snapshots cannot 'recreate' this lost art - and they don't want to. Better see them as an invitation to throw away the role as a passive art consumer. And if you just don't feel it yet, hey, there are lots of faces out there who could need a fancy moustache.
For more street art pictures, please visit my flickr page.
MARRAKECH ARTIST MEETING
MAM is an artist meeting for performance artists from Morocco and Europe. The first meeting took place from the 12.3 - 21.3 2012 in Marrakech, Morocco. During this time all the artists lived, worked, experimented and exchanged together to create a temporary art collective in Marrakech.
For more MAM pictures, please visit my flickr page.
INTEGRATED AGRICULTURE: A FARM VISIT
Good vs. evil? In the world of farming ideology, you're either a green enthusiast or a full-blown pesticide sprayer. Integrated agriculture tries to follow a middle course. Being as eco-friendly as possible but not shying away from using insecticide when deemed necessary.
Lasse Tamke, 31, is an orchadist from the Altes Land area near Hamburg. His family farm is a small one, 11 hectare of agricultural area, 27 types of apples, eight types of pears, cherries, plums and more. At first glance it's easy to misread it as a classic example for organic farming: No machines are visible, windfall serves as a natural fertilizer, harvesting is done manually. Tamke uses glue strips and alcohol traps to prevent vermins from harming the fruits. But when statistics and weather updates show the possibility of an insect plage or a virus infection, he rounds up the chemical cavalry.
If you'd like to know more about the farm and integrated agriculture, please read this article of my friend and colleague Hannah Wagner on her website (German).