The collective German Ostrkeuz was one who joined the Collective Meeting of Euro-Americans. From February to May, I had to talk to them a lot, while editing the blog of the meeting . And since being here, I thought proper to break the barriers of e-mail is to find with Jörg Brüggemann , one of 18 photographers who are part of the collective.

The group has a name and a story that blend with the history of Berlin - and, more specifically, German reunification. Ostkreuz is the name of the station, while the city was divided, served as the main east-west connection from Berlin subway line. In addition, the agency was born the same year of German reunification in 1990. It was founded by Ute and Werner Mahler, Sibylle Bergemann, Harald Hauswald and Maurice Weiss, all photographers from the east (with the exception of Weiss).

And as this year marks, so the twentieth anniversary of the collective and the reunification of the country, they released The city commemorative book, Becoming and Decaying that a project meets the photos semi-megalomaniac, where 18 photographers traveled to the collective 22 cities around the world, aiming to show the spirit of a city by its inhabitants. Along with the book launch, rolled the display of these images, in c / o Berlin , one of the coolest photo galleries of the city.

Jörg is the latest addition to Ostkreuz: he was invited to join the team in 2009, a year after graduating from the University of Bremen, in the course design. The project completion for Jörg was Same same but diferent on the culture of backpackers, with a focus on young first world who travel to poor countries in search of spiritual enlightenment, freedom and stuff. Jörg worked on this project for 13 months, and traveled a lot with him, began to gain notoriety in the middle of documentary photography in Germany ... To be invited to join the team Ostkreuz.

Same same bur different. Photo: Jörg Brüggemann

Currently, Jörg is photographing the community metaleira world. After Indonesia, he gave a ride by the metal scene in Germany and in October, goes to Brazil. Funding for this project comes from the scholarship he won the German institution VG Bild-Kunst.

Metalheadz (work in progress). Photo: Jörg Brüggemann.

These later, Jörg I received at the headquarters of the collective where, in addition to answering questions to a handful of beasts I did, even had the courtesy to show (in German, so cool!) Where they work. For:

This is Jörg. Photo: Adelaide Ivanova.

You photographed with a medium format film camera. It is romanticism?
No. I had a hybrid education, it did not have to go through a transition from one to another, to suffer for it. My personal projects I develop film (I prefer working with film) because I find it a more complete exercise, you have to be more concise, rather than keep clicking all that is in front. Even many agendas and commissioned works are still possible to film here in Germany. Of course, some customers prefer it to be done with digital, if the time is short and such.

The project that you desenvolveste during college on the natural gas stations in Bolivia, were basically landscape. After you pulaste for picture and went with him. A good landscape is that it is silent! How you deal with the photographed?
I'm shy to get close, get the picture. It is something of a lack of self-confidence, even. So I prefer to stay long in the place where I am searching to get me acquainted with the work and relax. Photos for The City, Becoming and Decaying, I did in Ushuaia ... I was there almost a month. There is a level of communication decrifrável not in time to shoot someone. There are people who you talk for 5 minutes and have a good shot, you have people talking for five hours and only at the end get a good image. But all part of the basics: respect for the shooting.

But Southern Image series, made ​​in Ushuaia. Photo: Jörg Brüggemann.

This thing is kind of respect do not treat the object as exotic? That's why you, as a young middle-class European traveler and heavy metal listener, prefer photographing these subjects?
It is, of course ... There is an identification, a comfort. I think every project personnel must be born a photographer's personal connection with the subject. But you see, can not have too much intimacy, too. Because I'm not shooting my friends there, I'm working. I want to feel close to the environment, but far from the subject. It is a good way estreitinho, any false step or you treat your object as exotic, alien, or as intimate.

That means going against the current trend documentary photography, which by little I know is that more in-doors out-doors, now.
Yes, but if the work was too personal, only you can relate to. The good thing about photography is that it is universal. My desire is that the pictures of backpackers, for example, are not only appreciated by the backpacker community, for it also, but not only.

What is the difference between shooting a hiker and a metalhead?
At the end of the project, I was a little tired of backpackers, this thing of going to the country of the other back lighting, but being that it is no thorough search, it's like a fashion. Have metalheads are an interesting combination: you look at them and they have such a brutal thing, but they are super cool. The metalheads are very good people.

Ostkreuz + jörg Brüggemann from adelaide Ivanova on Vimeo .