URBANA
The photo series "Urbana" began after I became aware of a group of skaters at the Schauspiel Haus in Dusseldorf. I was attracted to the place itself and wondered why it attracted skaters here. Talking to young people and visiting more skateparks, I realised that skateboarding was more than just a hobby for them, but rather a way to express themselves and find like-minded people. Skateparks satisfy the need of "adolescents" for autonomy and connectedness and enable young people to develop social skills. And just as all people influence and are influenced by the contexts in which they live. Leisure contexts, especially skating, are no exception.
The shooting locations are Schauspielhaus and Skatepark Apollo in Düsseldorf. Both places have something in common, although only Apollo is a skatepark, both are places of concentration of urban culture. It was also interesting for me to observe the context of these places, to see the traces and codes of street culture in the form of signs and quotes on the walls, e.g. like the strange tradition of hanging trainers on telephone cables (a common sight in many cities around. the world - "shoefiti").
During the three months of the project, my aim was to explore the relationship between this leisure context and the teenage years. The work consists of a collage of portraits of teenagers and street photographs. I was interested in portraying teenagers who skate because I think skateboarding is a kind of rebellious and inner quest that is mostly felt and connected with teenagers. Portraits are combined with street scenes, graffiti and "street poetry", which metaphorically also tell a story of teenage years: Adult questions, inner search, melancholy and changes.
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