Amok

What? Always the what? And right after the what, the why, why that? As soon as you know the why, the next automatic question is how. How do I do this. Always these three questions in this order. What do I photograph, why do I do it, and how am I going to do it? People ask, but the world doesn’t answer, so, does he make his own image of the world.

The questions! I ask, and receive in this way answers, that I make images? On the other hand, photography is just recognition. In other words, what I don’t recognize, I don’t photograph, because I just don’t see it. Besides all the questions of what and why, what do I photograph and why, is from today’s standpoint again of critical importance. The progressive digitalisation poses the understandable question as to whether analogue photography can still be considered a contemporary medium at all.

The analogue technical process also differs from the digital with regard to content. The difference lies in the digital possibilities of monitoring the taken photographs. Whereas earlier I had to rely upon my technical and formal abilities, today with a digital camera it is possible to continuously monitor this, my skills and abilities. The saying “Trust is good, checking is better” creates a contentedness through on-site selection; I delete the photos that don’t meet my criteria. I have always understood photography simply as an accompanying media, just there to get from A to B. Photography is for me an alibi.

Photographing to be present for what moves and interests me. Photography as evidence also truly to have been there, not for others, always for myself. Photography is for me a circle with two poles. One half will be lived, the other remembers. So simple, so complicated is this with me and my photography.

Photography is my collection of memories, slowly becoming full, in order to finally be able to back away. Photography is a strategy against my fear of loss. I use photography always for the same thing: to hang on, to make visible, make clear and retrievable, in the sense of memory. But I also ask with photography. Only, it, the photographed world, gives me no answer. No decisive one anyway, because through it I would merely become aware of time in the sense of speed and consequently also my transiency. I feel through photography, that I am mortal.

André Gelpke 2012