Between 2000 and 2002 I spent time with a Wanderschäferin -
a travelling shepherdess - in my native South Western Germany,
documenting her work. Travelling shepherds do not keep their herd in a
stable, but take it from one field to the next. During the cold winter
months they must travel to warmer areas with less snow in order to
sustain their flock.
Shepherds have a long tradition in Germany with
much mysticism surrounding their profession. Historically, they were
often thought to be witches, and even today, people come to them for
their knowledge of healing herbs.
To me, this project was an intense experience of
one’s roots, of the wonder of life's mysterious paths, and magic.
The shepherdess is the same girl that had been my best friend in
kindergarden, except that life had separated us for almost 20 years.
Our horizons could not have seemed more different when we met again in
our home village where she had stayed. And yet the exploration that
began for me did not only reveal long-forgotten roots; this woman also
lead me into a previously unknown spiritual world that was to become my
home.
The photographs I have selected for this body of
work interpret some of the magic I have encountered. The transfers in
particular allow to capture some of the intense nature I saw, while the
blurry mysticism of the other pieces pay tribute to this other-worldy
experience.
