In the pastoral and scenic landscape of the Hegau region at the southern fringe of Germany, traces of climatic changes from the last ice age collide with recent man-made environmental transformations. I grew up in this region and have always been fascinated by its landscape which is modeled by volcanic activities and reshaped by glaciers. Ice and meltwater carved out basins or valleys and sculpted volcanic mountains as well as jurassic rocks. Today, the area is of course also heavily altered by the human hand and shows more or less subtle scars. With a focus on human and non-human influences on the landscape, the series „Tipping Point“ explores the contemporary characteristics of four places in the Hegau region.

TIPPING POINT

8 diptychs, pigment prints on wood, various sizes.

additional documentary and archival materials, inkjet prints, wallpapers, various sizes.

2019 - 2022.

BRUDERTAL

In this valley, hunter-gatherer groups of Magdalenian culture camped 14.000 years ago. Near the Petersfels cave, they hunted for deer and held domesticated wolves. Apart from archaeological excavations, this place had not received much attention for a long time, the cave had been overgrown with trees and shrubs. This has changed in 2003 when vegetation was cleared to re-build a late ice age landscape. Until now, the Brudertal area serves as a manicured ice age themed leisure park.

HÖWENEGG

The volcanic mount Höwenegg was once sculpted by ice and meltwater. It was cone-shaped and 812 meters tall. Due to basalt mining, the mountain lost 14 meters of its height and where once was solid rock is now a crater, 85 meters deep, which turned into a lake fed by rain and groundwater. The stone quarry closed in 1979, since 1983 the Höwenegg is a nature protection area.

HOHENHEWEN

The area surrounding the tallest volcanic Hegau mount has already been inhabited in Bronze Age, during which agriculture began to flourish. Today, the Hohenhewen overlooks heavy extractivist practices in wood, soil and bedrock. The land is mostly privatized, used for agriculture, forestry and a proliferating gravel pit. When walking through this landscape, fences and barriers dominate the experience.

WASSERBURGER TAL

This valley is scattered with caves and jurassic rocks sculpted by ice and water. This former stone age hunting ground is now home to a hunting school. On most days, gunshots echo through the valley; an irritating sound which tortures local animals and nearby villagers alike. Over the last couple of years, the trees are dying in even larger numbers; all are damaged by bark beetles which spread rapidly due to monoculture, temperature rise and draught. Other changes? The road for the cars is brand new now.