Suburban Westphalia

(2021)

Westphalia is a compelling juxtaposition of the industrial past with the suburban present. The very landscape, dotted with factories, coal mines, and steel plants, testifies to a very once-prosperous industrial time. In comparison with the parks, rivers, and dense forests characterizing its suburban areas, these silent, now mostly silent, structures are coated and often half-swallowed by nature.

The fact that for the capturing of each scene analog film was used contributes to a certain texture and depth, which highlights the rawness of industrial remains and the serenity of rural landscapes. Grain in these films brings out the tactile details of weathered brick walls and corroded machinery, while the play of natural light in suburban loci brings out luscious greens and serene blues in the landscape.

These are transitional spaces in which the future of Westphalia becomes visible: abandoned railway lines became walking trails, and disused warehouses became a canvas for graffiti, testifying to a dynamic interplay between preservation and transformation. This is an embodiment of the ability of the region to adapt, including the visual narrative of continuity and change.

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