Claudia Christen • Jannik Nicola Dolder, Skater, Europapark, Bern, Switzerland 2021

Todd Weinstein • Dead Bird with Car, Westland, Mi, 2019

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My website: https://claudiachristen.com/en/

Project: https://claudiachristen.com/en/people/asphalt-virus

Title: Virus Asphalt 

Idea: This project focuses on young people in Bern, who use freely accessible urban spaces for leisurely activities such as skating, parkour, cycling, etc. 

Questions: How has the pandemic affected these individuals who indulge their passions in public places? Have they also been affected by restrictions and has their social behavior changed as a result? What type of sehnsucht, or yearning for the unattainable, are they experiencing?

Hypothesis: This outdoor “scene” dedicated to the “asphalt virus” is less affected by social distancing measures because it draws upon free, openly accessible spaces to pursue passions, whether alone or with others. Covid measures and the attendant fatigue seems to affect less their realm in the public places of Bern, whether they are scooting, skating, parkouring, cycling, or restoring cars. But to what degree is that true? A behind-the-scenes look at these young people provides clarity.

Caption to photo: Jannik Nicola Dolder (24), Skater, Europapark, Bern

Bio:
Growing up in Switzerland, her bedroom facing the Alps, Claudia Christen's eye was drawn early to open spaces, to their spirit and light. She began her design education at the School of Visual Arts in Biel, focusing on projects that explored how societies used and abused their environments, documenting the art and absurdity that resulted.
Moving to America in 1996, Christen saw a world where landscapes were often disturbingly altered. She began photographing these vast commercial spaces, quickly constructed to satisfy daily needs, but drained of any spirit or history. While working as a designer and photographer for top firms in New York and San Francisco, including Smart Design and the architect Aldo Rossi, she continued to seek out and document these massive social artifacts - from the aging New Jersey ocean ports and Coney Island shore to the commercial deserts of Middle America.
In 2004, after graduating from the International Center of Photography's program in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism, Christen began freelance work on major design and advertising campaigns for clients including Hewlett-Packard and the new identity for the Taxis of New York. She also designed and edited photography books by Thomas Dworzak, Andrew Lichtenstein and Christopher Morris (My America, 2007 ICP Infinity Award winner).
Recently, she studied cinematography in Switzerland and her short project, the realization, won a few cinematography awards. Christen is based in Bern, Switzerland and in Brooklyn, United States, continuing her work in freelance photography, specialising in art photography and film.