“I’m a nature explorer, not an urban explorer.”
This is how German photographer Dietmar Eckell describes himself when presenting his latest exhibition, Restwert – Forgotten in Nowhere, a collection focusing on lost objects abandoned in the wilderness.
Restwert (German for ‘residual value’) showcases large-scale prints handpicked from several of his photo projects, including Happy End. This unique series depicts the remnants of aircrafts forced to make emergency landings in remote areas. The link between these forgotten carcasses? Every passenger has lived to tell their tale of survival.
His research into decades-old unexpected miracles always begins with flight records and his quest has taken him all over the world. From Australia to Alaska, Mexico to the Sahara, Eckell has travelled over 120,000km in three years to collect the human stories at the core of these striking images.
Whether it’s aviation miracles, abandoned relics of the Cold War, old Olympic sites or derelict railway lines, Mother Nature always takes the centre stage; she has reclaimed these neglected manmade objects in a surreally beautiful way, merging them with her surroundings. Eckell appreciates the repossession and manages to capture the ephemeral in a set of eerily gorgeous landscapes.
Restwert – Forgotten in Nowhere, Sep 11 and 12, 19:00 | Erster Erster, Pappelallee 69, Prenzlauer Berg, U-Bhf
