Sabine Felber
"Stadt Träume" ("City Dreams") Project
"I take pictures in cities all over the world. My approach always remains the same: At first I read texts of the city's local authors and talk with its inhabitants. Inspired by these first impressions, I search for places 'characteristic' of the city. Having arrived at these places, I choose my perspective through the camera's viewfinder and install myself in this particular public space. Initially I compose the picture's background to be free of people, which allows me to maintain control over the composition. Then I wait until someone enters, crosses or rides through the scenery. If I press the release button of my camera at just the right moment, this extremely brief coinciding of place and person in front of the camera creates a surprising result - as in fact it is controllable only to a limited extent. Not spectacular scenes attract my interest, but much more the people's everyday life in the context of their motion. I call this technique: working with staged coincidence. The growing collection of "city dreams" is shown at all places of origin. Thus, in a certain way, these cities also become acquainted with each another." (Sabine Felber, 2002)