DOCKS

The young photography collective DOCKS recently published their second newspaper. Two years ago they teamed up to create a common platform for committed humanistic documentary photography. The newspaper shows five photographic essays by the authors, who deal with various socially relevant topics in Germany and abroad.

In his work The Dream of the Poets, Ingmar Björn Nolting deals with Solamiland, located in the horn of Africa. With surprising photographs he tells a story away from the clichés of and stereotypes of a country not recognized under international law and its peaceful state formation. “My photo-essay is a journey through this region that investigates and visualizes the collective dream of recognized statehood. The project tells of a region where traditional tribal structures and male prerogatives are as much part of the political system as a parliamentary democracy and peacefully executed changes of power. With a mixture of portraits and documentary images, I try to convey a surprising look at a region whose visual representation often struggles with the stereotypes of an East African crisis region.”

Another member of the DOCKS collective, Fabian Ritter, went to the south of Portugal for his photographic essay horizonte de calor, to document the long-term consequences of a devastating forest fire for people and nature in the region of Monchique. For Anecdotes from an unfamiliar Land Arne Piepke travelled through Germany and shows an alternative and personal view of Germany away from the metropolitan areas. With his essay, he questions the existence of a collective identity. With the work Russlanddeutsch Aliona Kardash deals with a population group that is strongly influenced by its migration history and often has habits and rituals outside the German majority society. For Road of Kolyma Maximilian Mann and Ingmar Björn Nolting travelled 2,000 kilometers across the so called Road of Bones to document the everyday life at one of the coldest populated regions in the world.

The newspaper was designed by Lea Szramek and Dr. Felix Koltermann reflects in a text contribution the presented works, as well as the importance of collective action in photography and the newspaper medium. The publication can be ordered free of charge on the collective’s website, only the postage costs must be paid. The collective also started a print sale, by ordering a print, customers also receive a free copy of the newspaper.

DOCKS

Designer: Lea Szmarek
Photography and Text: Arne Piepke, Maximilian Mann, Aliona Kardash, Ingmar Björn Nolting, Fabian Ritter
Text: Dr. Felix Koltermann
Release: Autumn 2020
Volume: 56 pages
Format:  25.7 cm × 35 cm
Language: English
Production/Finishing: Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei, Düsseldorf
Price: € 2.30
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Photo credit header: Zuhaib (16) and Zakiriye (16) pose on the training grounds of the New Somaliland Circus in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Since there is no circus culture in Somaliland, the shows of the young artists attract a lot of attention, especially in rural areas. The circus group performs in all regions of the country and uses the audience’s attention to educate about HIV, malaria, female genital mutilation and the risks of migration to Europe. Every year, young men die on the way, in the Mediterranean or are kidnapped in Libya. The circus thus becomes a tool of education and gives the young artists self-esteem and a mission. The Dream of the Poets, Ingmar Björn Nolting