Bronze 2014 / Fine Art / Collage

Urban Transformation in North Africa/Middle East

  • Photographer
    Claudia Wiens
  • Prizes
    Bronze in Fine Art/Collage

Since January 2011 I have been documenting urban transformation due to the political uprisings in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. They show quickly changing cityscapes: graffiti that appears and then often disappears again; relicts of the revolution like burned out buildings or cars; flags waving a newly discovered national pride; and newly erected walls and barbwire by the authorities. I use a panoramic Lomo film camera in order to transport the feeling of all is in flux, transient/transitory/short-lived and changes unpredictably all the time. As there are so many contradicting, paradoxical and also amusing things happen at the same time, almost like in parallel universes and can not be caught in single photos I merge two images that either contradict or complement each other. It does not always explain itself, sometimes some background information and a second viewing is needed to read the photo.