Human Sustainability
Is it possible? Does it work? And if so, how?
It was this morning, Monday, July 28, 2025, around 5 a.m. Thoughts about some of my paintings resurfaced. Sustainability was the central theme. Sustainability is everywhere today, from tomato sauce, French fries, cars to investment fonts and much more. Everything is there. Well, almost everything.
I first encountered this topic during my studies, around 1975.
It became more intense in the mid-1990s.
I first came into contact with "sustainability" through my work in software and database development.
The German word "sustainability" was hardly known at the time.
I was thus "vaccinated" early on in a sustainable and lasting way.
I can no longer keep up with software development.
That time has long since passed.
But the basic principles of sustainability are still strongly present in my photography and video work.
The chapters
Human Sustainability
Sustainability in photography? Is that possible?
In abandoned places?
By human sustainability in photography, I'm not just thinking of individual static images, photos that show humanity. What's needed is a story, a sequence, a narrative, a stimulus for thought, empathy, and certainly also an incentive for observers and viewers to think along and act accordingly.
A series of images, it was created in an old coal mine in Angers. Once upon a time, hard men worked here, probably for meager wages, but all the more dangerously. Accidents were commonplace. Women, of course, weren't among them. That would have triggered a revolution among men. Women could only do office work, if at all.
Many years ago, suddenly, nothing worked anymore. The workers (male and female) were laid off, losing their income and livelihood. The buildings and workshops are falling apart. The machines became rusting and unusable. That's it. When will it be completely scrapped?
Years later, this Urbex site was revitalized, reanimated. Artists quickly took action, and many graffiti works were created. I was able to take some photos there with friends – as a sustainable process without leaving a trace.
One of my photographs shows a young man, no clothes, naked, without any protection.
The contrast to the former time – tough men, hard work,
fully equipped, dangers everywhere – couldn't be greater.
The contrast between man and machine is equally rich in contrast.
If you become aware of these aspects, you can see a sustainable development in this picture.
It ranges from exploitation to freedom.
Humans in the Wheel of Life
Trapped in the World of Work
Deus ex Machina
Deus ex Machina literally means:
God from the machine.
Sounds a bit far-fetched, doesn't it?
This refers to an unexpected helper or surprising circumstance,
through which a previously unsolvable problem suddenly becomes solvable.
Genius Rex
Inspiration?
A divine helper?
Dangerous operation
Can this go well?
Zeus Digital
Zeus in action
The image is digitally composed of several photographs.
However, artificial intelligence did not work here, my own intelligence was sufficient.
The Kingdom of Urbex
Le Tolosan, once a luxury hotel complex in Boussens, southern France.
The hotel included an amphitheater, gourmet restaurant, meeting rooms and golf course. It was built over thirty years ago by the Elf company on a hill and included several buildings on different levels of the property.
After several ownership takeovers, the hotel's popularity began to wane and customers became increasingly rare. The liquidation was obvious.
After the closure, the hotel changed hands several times before it was abandoned. It was quickly looted and everything that could be sold was stolen. As a result, the hotel deteriorated quickly until a fire broke out.
The view
The photographs I took there hardly give any indication of the former luxury. Only the view remains.
The photographs were taken in the summer of 2024.
The King of Urbex
A great backdrop for Urbex actions, but not entirely safe.
It is not only suitable for graffiti artists.
New things are emerging in the kingdom of Urbex
The flags are waving in the wind.
Encounters in the wind
Human sustainability can also be seen in completely different types of photography. This is by no means only evident in my pictures. I'm thinking of photos of people in dynamic relationships with one another.
Challenging for photographic activities; significant motion blur is helpful.
A photo performance was created in the summer of 2024 in the South of France. My goal was to capture images of encounters, being together, being with each other, a play in the wind. All in natural and artificial light.
Such shots are almost impossible to achieve outdoors during the day. In the evening, however, they are very possible.
Francois and Gael, my two models, were very committed to this experiment and had a lot of fun. Only the two of them were in front of the camera.
Late Evening
- Who am I?
- Who are you?
- Where are we?
- Why?
- Connection — it flows
It's getting dark
- Where is reality?
- BEING?
- BEING !
- FLUENT !
Late into the night
- I'm with you
- You're with me
- Just BE!
The flags are still blowing in the wind.
To Chapter 12: Reconsiderations To Chapter 10: DigitalArt
