Manmade. A Beautiful Forest

The forest plays a major role in German myths, legends and poems as the place of origin of German culture and identity. Especially during the Romantic period it was transfigured in literature, painting and music as an idyllic place of longing.

The project makes stylistic reference to this era. At the first sight the images appear balanced and harmonious, yet it quickly becomes apparent that the romantic veneer is deceptive, for the German Forest is dead: burnt, dried up, cleared, destroyed by pests and mismanaged to the brink of extinction.

Storms, drought, forest fires, pest infestations and soil erosion are taking their toll: according to the recent Federal Government's Forest Report only every fifth tree is healthy, and some experts estimate that Germany will lose 50 percent of its forest area in the next five to ten years. Is this the end of the forest romance?