With these somewhat bizarre instructions in mind, we can now look at the billboard and ask ourselves whether this is at all possible. Maybe allow a small scream of fear in secret deep in our hearts, without anyone noticing. The over-dimensional size of the photos, and their position elevated above people’s heads, place the observer in an almost real situation and thereby evoke feelings of longing and fear. From this perspective, you can get into raptures or go through nightmares. Upon observation, the excitement rises along with a queasy feeling in the stomach. Even on the ground you think: Can something awful happen here? Will I have to scream out loud as soon as I plunge into the depths? Can I somehow bottle-up this scream? Would that not be the natural way for my body to react? Does a loud scream on a rollercoaster quite simply belong to the tingling nerves and to the whole experience of an amusement park?
The two photos – “Abyss” (Nagoya, 2019) and “Parachute” (Tokyo, 2018) – were created in Japan with a 6×6 camera and a normal, focal length lens.
Paul Hiller, born in 1984 in Görlitz, lives and works in Munich.
