wonderland l wunderland

INFOCUS is the photography support organization of the Phoenix Art Museum, composed of people actively interested in photography as an art form. This year they called photographers to send in their self-published photobooks for an exhibition „to explore the range of ways that artists are using newly available commercial technologies in order to express themselves. “

As you can imagine we followed their call and sent looking for wonderland to be examnied by an impressive list of jurors, among which were, next to curator Becky Senf, Marie Virginia Swanson and Darius Himes, authors of the notable Publish Your Photography Book and Indie Photobook Library’s Larissa Leclair.

And guess what? looking for wonderland made the cut – our book was selected and will now be on display at the Phoenix Art Museum, Doris and John Norton Gallery for the Center of Creative Photography, from August 23 to September 28, 2014

So if you’re curious about what the self-publishing photobook scene has to offer, INFOCUS is definitely where you want to go. Check out their Web site for more information about the exhibition and to find a list of all the other photographers and books chosen for the show.

Interested to find out more about looking for wonderland? Then this is the place to go …

„We imagined a library dedicated to Photography & Image Culture with unique, contemporary publications from all over the world, for you to enjoy.“

The Library Project in Dublin, Ireland, was initiated in 2011 by Claudi Nir and Ángel Luis González Fernández, from PhotoIreland and now features a curated collection of unique, contemporary publications from all over the world – and Kiel, Germany, since one of their latest additions is our looking for wonderland. Needless to say we’re pretty excited …

Screenshot The Library Project

So if you’re in Dublin make sure your paths will lead to 4, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 – for that’s where the Library Project is located.

Opening hours are Mon-Fri 11-6pm, Sat-Sun 12-6pm and after hours by appointment.

Photo (detail): PhotoIreland

And if you’re interested … get your copy here: bt:st verlag

On assignment for German newspaper taz, die tageszeitung, I recently shot at Sportschule Malente, the place where the German national football teams of 1974 and 1990 prepared to win the World Cup in those years.

The paper ran the story as an interview with two of the house keepers from back in the day on June 07th, opening their weekend section with a photo of the room where „Kaiser“ Franz Beckenbauer slept in 1990 … – nice one …

And if German is not a problem for you, you can read the whole interview about the myth of Malente online, yet my photographs were only in last weekend’s print version.

Sometimes, when you get your hands on a book that has long been on your list, you might be up for a disappointment. Maybe because it doesn’t meet your expectations, maybe because real life does not always live up to promises made in the digital world, where you read or heard about it. Not so with Raymond Depardon’s La France.

I wanted to have it ever since I read the introduction in the German magazine Photonews in 2011. Yes, I really like France, still, despite recent news around their municipal elections and the continuing growth of the far right. I grew up not far from its border, spent time there, even lived there for almost a year.

But it was the way the reviewer described Depardon’s look on his country that made the book so intriguing. Unobtrusive, rational, almost quiet. Neutral, if we don’t confuse this with objective. No need to show off what a great photographer he is, but inviting: „I traveled my country and look what I found.“

Protected by a simple blue dust jacket this soft cover takes you on a tour de France, around the hexagon in 300 moments – like one of those touristic bus rides but without commentary, leaving all the highlights aside. Here is La France they way I see it, now make up your own mind.

This book is an example why I love photobooks: there’s more to them than that one perfect shot, there’s a story even if it may not be in the classical sense and I can take them home, look and even feel them, discover them time and again. Books can be an inspiration if you allow them to be, Raymond Depardon’s La France is just that.

Raymond Depardon: La France, Edition Seuil, 2011, ISBN Seuil 978-2-02-114377-5

Our road trip turns into a road show – looking for wonderland was selected to be shown at the F Book Show, taking place March 26th to April 13th at the 72Gallery in Tokyo, Japan. It is an event organized by Photobookshow, a „Brighton-based arts organisation, set up in 2011 by William Sadowskiand Kevin Beck to raise the profile of artist-led photobooks. It aims to hold several exhibitions a year, alongside talks and workshops.“

Screenshot F Book Show

The opening night will be on Wednesday, March 26th and there will be a variety of events at the venue in collaboration with TIP (Tokyo Institute of Photography), Japanese publishing houses and local photographers. You will soon be able to find details of the events right here …

(See below for English translation)

Das deutsche Magazin Fine Art Printer stellt in seiner Ausgabe 01/2014 unter der Überschrift „Vier Vorbilder für Ihr eigenes Projekt“ auch auf der suche nach wonderland vor – in Wort und Bild. Zitat: „Die klare Bildsprache des Fotografen wird zum angenehmen Begleiter und die dokumentarischen Texte helfen, den Blick für „Wonderland“ zu schärfen.“ Ein schöner Start ins neue Jahr.

Fotos: Scans of the magazine Fine Art Printer, issue 01/2014

German magazine Fine Art Printer introduces looking for wonderland as one of four good models for realizing an own project. Quote: „The photographer’s clear visual language is a congenial companion and the documentary text helps honing the view for „Wonderland“.“ What a nice way to start the year.

at the Sydney & Berne Davis Arts Center in Fort Myers, Florida.

auf der suche nach / looking for / wonderland is one of the most viewed books in Josef Chladek’s virtual bookshelf in November 2013: Virtual Bookshelf JC

Now it’s official: we will be able to present our film looking for wonderland during the exhibition Punctum Contra Punctum II, American Edition, at the Sydney & Berne Davis Arts Center in Fort Myers, Florida – on December 16nd, at 3:30pm – come join us if you’re in the area.

Photo courtesy of the Sydney & Berne Davis Arts Center