„"Homelands" – what are they? Is there a plural form of "homeland," this word that exists in hardly any other language and with which such diverse ideas are associated? From August 27th to September 3rd, young people and young adults embarked on a photographic and cinematic exploration of different perspectives and images of "homelands" as part of the BilderBewegungBerlin2016 (Image Movement Berlin 2016) project.:
What does home smell and sound like? What does our digital home look like, or what does a jointly imagined home look like? Right at the beginning of the seminar, the "Home Lab" focused on connecting substantive discussion with photographic and film experiments.
Subsequently, all three parallel workshop groups – digital photography, black and white photography, and experimental short film – explored different aspects, perspectives, and approaches to "home" in Berlin as a place of history and cultural diversity. What they had in common was the development of concepts through a process of exchange and discussion – combined with practical exercises in image composition and camera technology.
What role does birthplace or place of residence still play in a globalized media landscape? Can homelands disappear due to historical and current societal changes, thereby altering their meaning? Does the concept of home change with the smartphone in our pocket, which keeps our social environment present regardless of location? What does a "new" or "second" homeland, so often discussed in public discourse, actually mean?
Additional inspiration for the artistic work process and its practical implementation was provided by Martina Plura, director, and Monika Plura, cinematographer, during the artists' talk at #bbb2016. Both became known in 2015 with the television film "Vorstadtrocker" and were award winners at the film competitions of the German Children's and Youth Film Center, the cooperation partner of this seminar – and: Both had themselves participated in summer workshops at the wannseeFORUM as teenagers and inspired the filmmakers participating today with film clips and accounts of their journey from then until their current film projects. With this encouragement and motivation to develop and implement their own ideas, the workshops continued:
The participants used analog SLR cameras in the Black and white photography workshop They adapted their image concepts, then developed the films themselves and made prints of the resulting images in the photo lab for a joint final exhibition.
In the workshop Digital photography A particular challenge was printing our own photo series with a professional A3 large format printer for the exhibition on the presentation day.
In the Experimental short film The individual participants became a film team that jointly developed decision-making processes regarding content and artistic design, and then implemented these in front of and behind the camera as well as during film production on the computer.
The result is a diverse range of works offering different perspectives on "homelands".
Thus, „Idem“ (Note: from Latin) asks idem ‚'The same', 'the same', 'the same thing') e.g., with images of tattooed codes exploring the relationship between the individual and society. The work "Arrival" seeks a conversation about "home" with a resident of a refugee shelter. Further works from the Black and white photographyThe workshop addresses questions about the connection between home and shelter, about remembering one's origins, and about analog and digital being in the here and now.
Links to other photographic works from the black and white photography workshop published on Flickr:
“Ciao Cocoa“ by ArinaChernova, “Hybrid“ by Johanna Eppler, “Arrival“ by Aline Fuchs, „Homeless“ by Jessica Kuhn
The relationship between places and familiarity, associated memories, mobility, new perspectives, or boundaries, e.g., of security and freedom, is explored in series from the Digital photography-Workshop. Berlin plays a key role with both well-known and yet-to-be-discovered spaces.
Maryam Saifi, link to the photo series on Flickr
Links to other photographic works published on Flickr:
Sarra Dziri, Alex Harbich, Marie-Theres Jung, Björn C. Sindermann
Also in "Homeward Bound", the Experimental short film, Berlin becomes a stage for different perspectives, perceptions, speeds and more in a city of diverse „home“ or many „homes“.
„We considered that home not only has a different meaning for everyone, but can also be a place you've never been to, but have always wanted to be, and where you would like to live. Therefore, we wanted to show the two different characters and how and where they feel at home. Character A relies on their familiar/beloved home, while Character B focuses on something new, colorful, and adventurous,“ Marie-Paulin Melzig describes the development process of the film idea.
The exploration of "home" will remain a compelling topic in the future, as it connects personal experiences, feelings, and visions of life with socio-political questions and value discourses in an ever-changing world. The BilderBewegungBerlin (Image Movement Berlin) will leave behind fascinating discussions and diverse images as an attempt to explore "home.".
The BilderBewegungBerlin 2016 is a collaboration between the wannseeFORUM Berlin Foundation and the German Children's and Youth Film Center (KJF)
Two participation fees were financed from the funds of the wannseeFORUM foundation to enable refugee youth to participate free of charge.
The seminar was funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Science.
and supported with technology by Alex Offener Kanal Berlin and Canon
