© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

Tell us about the project “Forests in the Anthropocene” selected for the Urbanautica Institute Awards? What is the motivation and the theme you addressed?

Gesche Würfel (GW) The series “Forests in the Anthropocene” explores the effects of human-made climate change on forests. Depending on their geographic location, trees face a variety of climate change impacts from rising temperatures to drought, fires, invasive pests, flooding, storms, sea level rise, or saltwater intrusion. Using 4x5 film and a large format camera, I photographed forests in two U.S. states and climate zones (North Carolina and Massachusetts) to show the impacts of global warming. I processed the photographs with different methods: some prints were exposed to intense heat, while others were solarized, etched with a laser cutter, or burned beyond recognition. The variety of impacts created by global warming accelerates forest dieback worldwide, which is not only brought into the picture in terms of motifs but is also drastically visible on the material level.

What are the practical difficulties you faced in its development?

GW: Originally, I was planning on photographing sites of climate change in California to add a third climate zone to the mix, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was not able to travel. Concerning the carbon emissions this trip would have created, it was a better decision to stay local as much as possible. I, therefore, spent more time photographing in the mountains and on the coast of North Carolina than originally anticipated. Nevertheless, photography creates a plethora of carbon emissions such as traveling to locations, shipping, and supplies such as paper and darkroom chemicals among others. The carbon emissions created with this project were offset through www.carbonfootprint.com. From an editorial point of view, what choices guided you in the selection of the final portfolio? I chose to submit one image or more of each of the climate change impacts for the viewer to understand the scope of the project. For example, I invoke drought with solarized prints roasted in a kiln; sea level rise by mirroring gelatin silver prints; saltwater intrusion by adding sea salt from the North Carolina coast. Additionally, my selection process was guided by connecting visual elements. For example, I sequenced the images so that prints with burn marks or circles would be presented back-to-back, I searched for similar colors or elements within the photographs.

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

Who or what does influence your work in particular? Is there any contemporary artist, photographer, or writer you’d like to quote or mention?

GW: My art connects with numerous broader trends. Twentieth-century German photography has been very influential for me, particularly Bernd and Hilla Becher and their former students at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art with their analytical approach to space. I have always been fascinated by the New Topographics’ methods of surveying man-made urban and suburban landscapes. In addition, I assisted the well-known architectural photographer Hélène Binet in London, and she inspired me to view spaces in new ways by focusing on the interplay of architectural concepts, light, and shade. Last but not least, I am a huge admirer of Alison Rossiter’s work who creates abstract landscapes on expired photo paper in her darkroom without using a camera at all.

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

Do you dialogue with other experts when developing your work?

GW: Depending on the scope of the project I dialogue with other experts. For “Forests in the Anthropocene”, I consulted scientists among others from UNC-CH, Harvard Forest, and the Southern Research Station. Without input from any of these experts, my project would have taken a very different turn. During my residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin in 2021/22, whilst working on my most recent project, “The Absence and Presence of the Berlin Wall”, I interviewed 22 witnesses of the Berlin Wall. Some of the interviewees were political prisoners, others are from cultural, and religious institutions, memorial sites, and other walks of life.

What are the themes that interest you?

GW: I am a visual artist working primarily in photography. With my camera, I examine urban and natural landscapes from a socio-political perspective by combining a wide range of influences from my background as an artist, urban planner, and visual sociologist to having lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Even though most of my photographs do not show people directly, they talk about the traces that people have left behind using or passing through these spaces. I am particularly drawn to unusual, derelict, mundane, and often overlooked spaces as these offer a vast area of hidden (local) histories. By exploring these, I offer the viewer insights about spaces they may never visit or simply not notice. I draw inspiration from the places where I live. Having lived in many different places and environments, from rural to suburban to urban in Germany, England, and the United States, my projects are international, yet very site-specific. My marriage to an African American man has sensitized me to explore our relationship and the history of both our families in the U.S. and Germany in projects that address slavery, the Holocaust, and World War II, among other topics. Accordingly, I am interested in themes that reach beyond the field of art.

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

From a methodological point of view, what is your approach to the medium? How do you envision or conceptualize the projects?

GW: Most of the time, I read about a particular issue and do extended research that leads me to take pictures. Depending on the project, I may interview experts on a particular topic, sometimes I portray them. Other times, I come across something that sparks an idea in me, such as basement decorations while apartment hunting in NYC, which led to my ‘Basement Sanctuaries’ project. That project explored migrant adaptation to the metropolis from an intimate perspective by photographing how superintendents decorate basements in Northern Manhattan. Most of my projects span several years in their execution.

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

Do you privilege any camera or process in particular? Tell us about your equipment...

GW: My working method is characterized by primarily working with an analog camera (large or medium format), although I also use a digital camera for certain projects. Some of my photographic creation processes involve experimentation. For example, I might play with the exposure time or various aspects of development and postproduction. Cameras I use: 4x5 Wista, Rolleiflex, Mamiya 7II, Nikon D800.

© Gesche Würfel from the series "Forests in Anthropocene"

Any interesting books that you recommend and that recently inspired you and why?

GW: Levin, B., Ruelfs, E. and Beyerle, T. (editors) (2022). “Mining Photography. The Ecological Footprint of Image Production.” Leipzig: Spector Books. I have just started reading this book since I will teach a directed photography projects class on climate change in the Department of Photo & Imaging at NYU Tisch next semester. This project directly ties into my current research.

Gesche Würfel (website)
Winner Urbanautica Institute Awards 2021