In public discourse, we often encounter the same images when discussing homelessness and housing insecurity. With the artistic perspectives of photographer Debora Ruppert and graphic novel author Sebastian Lörscher, as well as the viewpoint of city guide and former homeless person Dieter Bichler, this event at BERLIN GLOBAL will focus on alternative images and how the topic can be represented appropriately and with dignity.
Image gallery
Eröffnungsveranstaltung der Freifläche „Mitten unter uns“ bei BERLIN GLOBAL
Poverty, homelessness, and housing insecurity are pervasive in Berlin. Nevertheless, affected individuals are often (deliberately) overlooked and marginalised. This is partly because the prevalent societal image of homelessness is frequently shaped by stereotypes: alcohol, violence, and dirt characterise this cliché.
Who are the people sleeping in emergency shelters or train stations?
How can artistic views on homelessness be achieved without adopting a voyeuristic perspective? How can an image tell the story of the person portrayed?
Photographer Debora Ruppert has been depicting homeless and housing-insecure people on the streets of Berlin for many years. Illustrator and author Sebastian Lörscher uses the medium of illustrated reportage to tell the stories of Berlin’s homeless.
As part of the accompanying programme for the “Here and Now. Women⁺ Experiencing Homelessness in Berlin” project, we will address these questions.
We warmly invite you to the presentation of selected works by Debora Ruppert and Sebastian Lörscher.
Together with Dieter Bichler, city guide for the association querstadtein e.V. and a former homeless person himself, we will explore the possibilities of depicting homelessness and poverty and discuss his perspective as someone who has been affected.
The event is part of the accompanying programme for the Open Space project “Here and Now. Women⁺ Experiencing Homelessness in Berlin“.
Participants
Debora Ruppert works as a freelance photographer with a focus on socially critical portrait photography worldwide. In her artistic work, she addresses socio-political issues such as homelessness, poverty, human trafficking, flight, and forced prostitution.
From 2018 to 2021, the travelling exhibition “KEIN RAUM – Begegnungen mit Menschen ohne Obdach” was shown in Berlin’s town halls and in the Senate Department for Labour, Integration and Social Affairs. In 2023, the multimedia project titled “HOME STREET HOME – Paths Out of Homelessness” was exhibited in the German Bundestag.
From 12 September to 10 November 2024, the newly developed exhibition “Voices from the Street – Perspectives of Homeless and Housing-Insecure People” will be on view at the Friends of the Willy Brandt House.
Sebastian Lörscher, born in Paris in 1985, is an illustrator and author living in Berlin. His graphic novels have received numerous awards. Lörscher’s recent works particularly focus on the medium of illustrated reportage. In 2022, his book “Shadows of Society” was published, in which he narrates the stories of homeless people in Berlin through drawings and text.
Dieter Bichler, born in Prenzlau in 1968, was homeless for a winter in 2012/2013. For the past ten years, Dieter has been a city guide for the association querstadtein e.V. in the Charlottenburg district, and has developed a special tour on the topic of defensive architecture. Dieter also volunteered at the “City-Station” day shelter for the homeless run by the Berlin City Mission.
- 5 EUR, reduced 3 EUR
- 10 years and older
- English, GermanGerman Sign Language
- Berlin Exhibition, 1st floor, Hall 5 Berlin Room
- Belongs to: BERLIN GLOBAL Open Spaces: Here and Now
Additional information
Dates
November 2024
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