bergen

Viewing historical events from today’s perspective, freeing space for the autobiographical, and creating an authentic voice and connection between image and text are the themes on which bergen is based.

The hills in the surroundings of Berlin are not mountains but hills with thin topsoil, infused with iron from armaments, bricks, and other rubble. They come from the post-World War II era. Nowadays, these elevations are used for recreational activities. Children fly their kites, young people and adults meditate or relax here. Daniela Keiser has visited these hills often over the past several years to photograph contemporary everyday life.

The author Nadine Olonetzky has frequently been engaged with Keiser's photographs. Her precise descriptions of the works, which have been published in various media, have led them to closer contact. Starting point of this book was a studio visit when Keiser had just defined the first photographs for bergen. Inspired by that Olonetzky created a text dealing with her own family history, intertwining post-war images and childhood memories.