Oder-Neisse No More« Prev. Gallery • Next Gallery »[ Gallery Index ] |
StatementThe Oder and the Neisse are 2 rivers forming together the Oder-Neisse line. This line marks the new border between Poland and Germany since 1945. The words Oder-Neisse symbolize major issues in the aftermath of World War II: changing borders in Central-Europe and displaced populations. In that case, the Soviet Union annexed some German territories and gave them to Poland. The German population was expelled and replaced by Poles, themselves expelled from annexed parts of their country. "Oder-Neisse No More" is a 2 years long project where I repeatedly traveled throughout this area - along and around the border itself, and then deeper into these former German territories. As an outsider living in Germany now and having lived in Poland before, as a person attached to both countries, yet being aware of the amount of prejudice and ignorance between both sides, I wanted to see how Germany and Poland relate today. Especially since these countries share a common history (they were communist states and are now part of a larger institution, the European Union) and even more so since all border controls were removed in December 2007 when Poland joined the so-called Shengen zone: the Oder-Neisse problem was then theoretically no more. As an expatriate, I'm also fascinated by the notion of a border, that is: an awkward administrative line indicating where a culture is supposed to suddenly end and another one (expected to be "irreconcilably different") start right away. A notion at odds with the fact that much of Central Europe's territories frequently changed hands over the course of history: it forces us then to question a concept at best blurry and ambiguous. Scroll to the right » |
1/33 • Old German Advertisement & Polish City • Wrocław (Poland) |
2/33 • Broken Bridge • Forst (Germany) |
3/33 • The other Side • Forst (Germany) |
4/33 • Emptied Train Station • Zgorzelec (Poland) |
5/33 • Departures & Arrivals • Wrocław (Poland) |
6/33 • The Yellow Corridor • Szczecin (Poland) |
7/33 • Exit • Eisenhüttenstadt (Germany) |
8/33 • German Pole • Frankfurt/Oder (Germany) |
9/33 • Zigaretten & Fryzjer • Gubin (Poland) |
10/33 • Escort Agency • Kostrzyn (Poland) |
11/33 • Sudden Sleep • Kostrzyn (Poland) |
12/33 • Worship 1: Red Star • Eisenhüttenstadt (Germany) |
13/33 • Worship 2: The Joy of Buying • Wrocław (Poland) |
14/33 • No clear Direction • Küstrin-Kietz (Germany) |
15/33 • Interrupted Line • Ahlbeck/Świnoujście (Germany/Poland) |
16/33 • Snack Bar at the Border • Ahlbeck (Germany) |
17/33 • Housing #1: Bloki • Zgorzelec (Poland) |
18/33 • Housing #2: Plattenbau • Eisenhüttenstadt (Germany) |
19/33 • Housing #3: Three Different Stories • Wrocław (Poland) |
20/33 • Housing #4: Remnants of World War II • Wrocław (Poland) |
21/33 • Pathway through the Fence • Wrocław (Poland) |
22/33 • Kitsch 1: Wedding presents • Wrocław (Poland) |
23/33 • Kitsch 2: Beauty Shop • Cottbus (Germany) |
24/33 • Every Sunday Morning • Wrocław (Poland) |
25/33 • All Saints' Day • Zgorzelec (Poland) |
26/33 • From the Craddle to the Grave • Görlitz (Germany) |
27/33 • Modern Church • Zgorzelec (Poland) |
28/33 • A Cross over the Oder • Wrocław (Poland) |
29/33 • Former Checkpoint • Frankfurt/Oder (Germany) |
30/33 • Separated by a Sand Strip • Świnoujście/Ahlbeck (Poland/Germany) |
31/33 • End of the Line • Baltic Sea, Świnoujście (Poland) |
32/33 • The End of History • Słubice (Poland) |
33/33 • Statue • Frankfurt/Oder (Germany) |
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