November 2004
I suppose my last text for this year should be some sort of summing-up, and of course the picture should be carefully chosen to illustrate this somehow too, but ...
Ok, the photo first: nothing special perhaps, but I picked this one firstly ´cos it has nothing to do with anything and maybe could´ve been taken anywhere (it´s just an arrangement I spotted in the corner of my favourite bar - big respect to Bea who always manages to create such perfect flourishes with form and light!). And secondly, ´cos, as usual, there´s always too much to say, especially now after six years, that one picture doesn´t stand a chance to do justice to the whole Geschichte. Maybe this one simply says that I (still) feel at home here, but a bit quiet.
Quiet, because it´s been a weird year (not for me - every year is weird for me!). I mean, out there... world events and stuff, everything from the return of the immoral fool to the White House through to the deaths of several of the greatest photographers. What I mean is, I get a uneasy feeling that the world is entering a period of change.
Speaking of change, we (err, the Germans that is) are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the fall of the wall. Some say this was the most important single event of the last 50 years. Can you remember that? ...the long thing that divided Germany into a rich, boring, leather shorts wearing democratic part, and another part that called itself democratic but was really full of evil communists and beautiful girls with hairy armpits who queued once a month for their ration of sandpapery toiletpaper and bananas. Actually, it divided the entire world and made us nervous for decades. Anyway, lots of Germans can´t remember much about it at all according to a recent survey! (Well, look it up - Google is good for that) See what I mean? What is the world coming to?
And I..., everything is fine. Just finished a couple of months teaching in the mining company and working on my landscape project in the region, still testing films - it´s down to a toss-up between the new Tri-X and Neopan400 - price and availability may even decide it for me!, splashed out on a mini digital video camera (What? Pictures that move??? Eweee!!!) in order to send a wee movie of the cutest kid in the world to the family back there in the land where men are men and ...nevermind, and finally made it up to Berlin (still can´t decide if I like that city or not) to see Helmut Newton´s splendiferous exhibition - a very special story about that which I´ll have to tell you another day. One thing´s for sure - I´ll be back!
Merry Christmas down there, and be good.
Dean