Julian Köpke

Last night presented me with a rare opportunity to listen to modern music that had not yet been performed, in a private setting. The Motus Quartet graced us with their presence and guided us through uncharted soundscapes. These young musicians met whilst studying at the conservatoire in Vienna and are now taking part in numerous competitions.

Before the concert, I took one last look down Salesianergasse in Vienna, as I didn’t want to arrive too early for the event.

After the concert, sleep was out of the question. These new sounds call for a new visual aesthetic. But what sort?

The next day, I wandered aimlessly through the city, keen above all to create something new through the lens. Intentional camera movement is not a new technique, but it always allows for an impressionistic approach to a place. With images like these, my thoughts keep flowing

Using textures in these ‘smudge paintings’ has now become almost second nature to me. I was inspired to try this by books by Roxanne Bouché Overton. After making many observations – some of them rather wild – in Vienna as I made my way along Schönbrunner Straße, I returned to my hotel to give my eyes a rest.

Lockdown drives us crazy. Official measures increasingly breathe the spirit of decay. The Age of Enlightenment is over. It is no longer a reasonable reflection that counts or thoughts, that are discussed. Politics behaves more like a war management. The first victim of a war is the truth. That’s more and more disturbing.

This morning I stepped over an enigma. A structure in the roof of our Main Station in Heidelberg. As an image, there are many ways this structure could be thought of: a top-down bowl, a flying saucer – or a light dome. As it was still dark about 6 o’clock the windows appeared in a dark blue, like the adjacent ceiling.

Other perspectives show a content that could be seen as a china plate. I couldn’t stop to photograph this dome.

Longtime exposures made from a train window have a look and feel of their own. Perspective loses its sense. A moment loses its meaning. But these images are inspiring.

How to photograph the feeling of eternity ? Can there really be a feeling of eternity or are we subjected to a deception when we perceive it ? Does time fusion help although a finite process ? The following image was captured with the Slow Shutter app on my cell phone with 8 seconds.

An evening of fine music

Train ride