There are rules, laws, prohibitions and restrictions everywhere around us.
“Do not step on the grass. “
“No Entry”
“Keep Out”
I am really sick of that.
There are much too many rules and laws out there and the scariest thing is, that the people are actually abiding them.
One impressive sample situation was, when I went to italy in 2010.
It was kind of a class trip, and we drove there all night.
When we stopped at a motorway service area and went to the toilette,
there were those waist-high barriers,
that wouldnt open until you put in 70c.
It was in the middle of the night, the whole place was abandoned, and you could easily slip through the barrier either by stepping over or creeping under the obstacle.
Still there were many of my collegues who did not have any money on them,
and who then decided that they would rather not go to a toilette during the next 7 hours at all, than simply looking for an alternative way.
Its only an unimportant situation, I know, but nevertheless I was kind of shocked.
Shocked about how easy it is to make people pay, and how little most people question law.
Its as if this obstacle would have been god given and there was no way of breaking it down.
Am I the idiot for breaking laws, or are these people idiots for not breaking them?
When photographing, I often encounter situations in which I have to decide whether I rather abide laws or get my shot. And my decision usually tends to be the latter.
Photographing in malls, public buildings, airports, concerts, military areas etc. is, in the majority of cases, directly connected to trouble with authorities.
Its also forbidden to wander around in abandoned buildings, at least until there is a company that rips out all the real stuff and puts either a museum or apartments in.
I was born in Berlin in 1989, the year that the Berlin Wall disappeared.
I am sure it was an interesting time, but everything that connects me with this history is my birthday.
When I am exploring abandoned buildings around the area, its always a travel into the past.
I have heard and read a lot about the GDR, but nothing lets you think about past times as much and as intensively as exploring factories from these times, browsing through newspapers and magazines or simply wandering through buildings that have been left decades ago.
I would even say, that visiting an abandoned hospital in connection with images from these times and stories connected to the place would be an awesome lecture in school when it comes to bygone times.
Estimated 90% of all schoolchildren hate museums. Why not show them something real, that they can touch and smell? This would definitely be more thrilling and tangible than boring school lessons.
Back on topic.
Probably I am on the wrong track, but this not-questioning of authorities makes me sick.
And it strongly interferes with my artistic work.
Many of the photographs that became famous all over the world have been done without informing the subject, without abiding anti-photography laws or simply…without asking. To document the world that we live in, I consider it very important to shoot what you consider important and worth remembering.
Full Stop.
This is my opinion, without paying attention whether its about private spaces, strangers or whatever.
Old factories definitely are one part of that. They are spread everywhere, and they remind of bygone times.
But still you are not allowed to enter. Its a shame!
Forget the Rules, forget the Law.
Go out, shoot and do what you need to do as long as you dont hurt anyone else or anyone elses property.
This needed to be said. I am sorry if this article may appear shredded and uncontinous, but I felt the need to write about this.
Yours
CRAZY IVORY