(English Version below)
Unna Diary, 11.-16. April 2021
14. April, 2021: »When I start my morning walk at 6:30 I am accompanied from day one by a noisy motorized sweeper. The vanguard dressed in orange with a hoodie underneath is operating a leaf blower. One of his guilty pleasures is to blow a small white plastic bag aimlessly through the pedestrian zone. I can't help being reminded of the film American Beauty-without the beauty but with a lot of noise. When I ask him about the reasoning for his activity he explains to me in his nice local accent that his job is to stir up the filth, that the sweeper can do the rest.«
(Peter Bialobrzeski)
Über die City Diaries
Die Stadt zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts ist das große Thema der City Diaries von Peter Bialobrzeski. In dem bisher 19 Bände umfassenden Projekt untersucht er seit 2013, ob der Entwurf des Bildes einer Stadt, gespeist aus Vorurteilen, Vorgefundenem und medial Vermitteltem in ein spezifisches Bild überführt werden kann. Ob Wuhan oder Wolfsburg - ihn interessieren die von der Globalisierung zunehmend kaschierten kulturellen Unterschiede, die er mittels einer scheinbar objektivierenden Bildsprache
sichtbar macht. Dabei schlagen sich auch aktuelle politische und soziale Entwicklungen in Bialobrzeskis Bildern und Tagebucheinträgen nieder. Format und Umfang aller Titel sind identisch. Diese Systematik erlaubt einen vergleichenden Blick auf verschiedenste urbane Situationen. Weitere Bände erscheinen in loser Reihenfolge.
About the City Diaries
The city at the beginning of the 21st century is the major theme of Peter Bialobrzeski's City Diaries. In the project, started in 2013 and so far comprising of 19 volumes, he has been investigating whether the pre-conception of a city, a product of prejudices, personal observations and what is conveyed by the media, can be transformed into a specific image. Whether Wuhan or Wolfsburg - Bialobrzeski is interested in the cultural differences increasingly concealed by globalization, which he makes visible by means of a seemingly objectifying aesthetic. Current political and social developments are also reflected in Bialobrzeski's images and diary entries. The format and page count of all titles are identical. This systematic approach allows for a comparative view of a wide array of different urban situations. Further volumes will be published intermittently.
