New tales for an accelerated culture

 

The work of Patrick Strattner can be read as a kind of staged “reality”, without this necessarily becoming a fiction. This is far. The German photographer’s shots seem to capture the very essence of the people who are being portrayed by building within the landscapes that surround them something like a common sense yet intimate and personal. A kind of private tale that, if grasped, is there for all. No accident if his project “XYZ” has a complex structure and feeds on many languages, combining landscapes and portraits of people who live them, loose thoughts and accurate interviews. Here, in his words, the motives and intents of this work.

 

«XYZ is a further exploration of the topic Douglas Coupland wrote about in his bestselling novel “Generation X”. I chose to follow in Douglas Coupland’s footsteps and focus on Palm Springs and its surrounding areas. Palm Springs is a land of contradictions. Sumptuous manicured lawns of the incredibly wealthy retirees who flock to the area juxtaposed with the barrios of the people who work for them. The young, rich and famous share gambling habits with the speed addicted dredges of society at any of the various casinos littering the desert horizon. Transplants from all over the U.S. trying to start fresh in an area with a flourishing economy, year round sunny weather and the possibility of realizing the “American Dream”. And, too, there are the many hopeful young men and women who have grown up in the area and call this strangely beautiful place home. They are the ones who are, almost inconceivably, trying to live normal lives in the face of adversity. Not the children of the many wealthy residents, but rather the progeny of the people who work to keep the shiny veneer intact for those wealthy residents. In my exploration of Gen-Xers, who have now grown into adulthood, and its younger sibling, Generation Y, I witnessed and documented both the desolation often associated with a displaced people as well as the hope that only the recently freed can truly express.»

 

 

Photo:

© Courtesy of Patrick Strattner

www.patrickstrattner.de

(click on the image at right for more pictures)