Unternächte
2018–ongoing
Unternächte is the term my grandmother and great-grandmother in Bavaria used for the nights between Winter Solstice and Epiphany, a liminal period also known in Germany and Austria as Raunächte. As winter gives way to spring, as the old fades and the new has yet to emerge, life and death, light and darkness blur together, creating a space both dangerous and cathartic. During these nights, the gates to the beyond are said to stand wide open and the spirits descend into the mortal realm. In my family, this time has been marked by tales and traditions passed down through generations of women, who sought guidance for the uncertain path ahead.
Like the seasons, history moves in cycles, never exactly repeating, but carrying familiar patterns. States of peace and stability eventually dissolve, and societies are shaped by recurring disasters. Today, the world stands at its own kind of Raunächte: political rifts, environmental crises, and technological disorientation echo the ancestral fears that once inspired people to invent stories and rituals to navigate the unknown. The customs preserved by the women in my family now shine in a new light, offering insight into how we confront crises and uncertainty in this unfolding era.
Through photography, I explore how, especially during times of chaos, we turn to rites and storytelling. In Unternächte, I reimagine family stories and local traditions to weave new narratives, reflecting on what is preserved, what is lost, and what must evolve. This work considers change as a universal and permanent condition, challenging us to navigate moments of collapse and renewal, and, in turn, to discover new ways of seeing and connecting. Through the camera, ordinary moments turn into mystical possibilities, suggesting that in these troubled times, our hope may not lie in technology, but in reconnecting with each other and the more-than-human world.
Like the seasons, history moves in cycles, never exactly repeating, but carrying familiar patterns. States of peace and stability eventually dissolve, and societies are shaped by recurring disasters. Today, the world stands at its own kind of Raunächte: political rifts, environmental crises, and technological disorientation echo the ancestral fears that once inspired people to invent stories and rituals to navigate the unknown. The customs preserved by the women in my family now shine in a new light, offering insight into how we confront crises and uncertainty in this unfolding era.
Through photography, I explore how, especially during times of chaos, we turn to rites and storytelling. In Unternächte, I reimagine family stories and local traditions to weave new narratives, reflecting on what is preserved, what is lost, and what must evolve. This work considers change as a universal and permanent condition, challenging us to navigate moments of collapse and renewal, and, in turn, to discover new ways of seeing and connecting. Through the camera, ordinary moments turn into mystical possibilities, suggesting that in these troubled times, our hope may not lie in technology, but in reconnecting with each other and the more-than-human world.
