02-02-2012 Faces of Places The student ideas competition Studio Heiden, a joint venture with the Saxion Hogeschool Deventer, explores the future of the Westphalian town of Heiden as part of the funding initiative Regionale 2016. In tandem, a photographic project about places and protagonists came into being.
Faces of Places
A church tower at its heart, country smells from a nearby cattle shed, farm machinery at harvest, gardens in bloom – this is a picture of an almost lost rural past. In much of western Europe, the countryside is undergoing vast structural change and with it the role of agriculture is being transformed. Most villagers earn their income elsewhere. The photo series “Faces of Places” seeks to capture a snapshot of their daily lives.
The focus was on an analysis of the small town of Heiden in Westphalia, near the Dutch border. The project sought to highlight not just the town’s physical elements, but also its local protagonists, the main characters and people who figure in everyday rural life, whose life patterns inform the space. Together with the photographer Nelly Rodriguez, we chose a format in which we combined two images, which illustrate two different perspectives of people in their typical environment. Pictures of the person and of the spatial situation are combined in a diptych.
Concept: Prof. Joachim Schultz-Granberg on behalf of the municipality of Heiden, with Swiss photographer Nelly Rodriguez.
With thanks to the other supporters of the project: Regionale 2016, Sparkasse Westmünsterland, Volksbank Heiden eG, EUREGIO, sb partner Geo + IT and the helpful and lovely inhabitants of Heiden.
all Photos © Nelly Rodriguez