SEEFAHRER
Seefahrer
Ick heff mol een Hamborger Veermaster sehn,
To my hooday!
De Masten so scheef as den Schipper sien Been,
To my hoo day, hoo day, ho - ho - ho - ho!
Blow, boys, blow, for Californio,
There's plenty of gold, so I am told,
On the banks of Sacramento
(1849 Sea Shanty in Low German and English)
California, the state of promise and opportunity, has drawn people since the days of the gold rush. From my hometown Hamburg, Germany, many ships left the harbor heading for America; on board emigrants and their hopes for a better life. The romantic notion of a new life in a new world, often stood in contrast to the long and uncertain journey awaiting them. The sea shanty, Hamborger Veermaster (Hamburg's four-master), which criticized the poor conditions found on the overfilled emigration ships, is still sung today by young and old in northern Germany.
While those days are long over, California remains an attractive destination for people from in and outside the United States alike. Today´s immigrants might not be looking for gold, but for other precious dreams. They may move for a career, or an education, or they may follow their heart to be with a loved one. In San Jose, where I live now, one-third of the population is foreign-born. This multiculturalism makes the Bay Area an interesting place to live. I am a foreigner among many other foreigners. But even though I have been living here for five years, I still feel like a visitor passing through.
Through photography and audio, Seefahrer explores the diverse population in the Bay Area, reflecting 150 years of immigration. Some conquered the sea, the continent or just the Bay, but somehow they all ended up right here in Silicon Valley. Without hearing someone talk, it is hard to tell whether they were born here, lived here for a while, or just arrived. Asked to express their inner sailor, the people portrayed do not only reference the history of immigration in the United States, but also life as a journey. For some San Jose has become the home port while others are already planning to set sail again to move on to their next adventure.
Ick heff mol een Hamborger Veermaster sehn,
To my hooday!
De Masten so scheef as den Schipper sien Been,
To my hoo day, hoo day, ho - ho - ho - ho!
Blow, boys, blow, for Californio,
There's plenty of gold, so I am told,
On the banks of Sacramento
(1849 Sea Shanty in Low German and English)
California, the state of promise and opportunity, has drawn people since the days of the gold rush. From my hometown Hamburg, Germany, many ships left the harbor heading for America; on board emigrants and their hopes for a better life. The romantic notion of a new life in a new world, often stood in contrast to the long and uncertain journey awaiting them. The sea shanty, Hamborger Veermaster (Hamburg's four-master), which criticized the poor conditions found on the overfilled emigration ships, is still sung today by young and old in northern Germany.
While those days are long over, California remains an attractive destination for people from in and outside the United States alike. Today´s immigrants might not be looking for gold, but for other precious dreams. They may move for a career, or an education, or they may follow their heart to be with a loved one. In San Jose, where I live now, one-third of the population is foreign-born. This multiculturalism makes the Bay Area an interesting place to live. I am a foreigner among many other foreigners. But even though I have been living here for five years, I still feel like a visitor passing through.
Through photography and audio, Seefahrer explores the diverse population in the Bay Area, reflecting 150 years of immigration. Some conquered the sea, the continent or just the Bay, but somehow they all ended up right here in Silicon Valley. Without hearing someone talk, it is hard to tell whether they were born here, lived here for a while, or just arrived. Asked to express their inner sailor, the people portrayed do not only reference the history of immigration in the United States, but also life as a journey. For some San Jose has become the home port while others are already planning to set sail again to move on to their next adventure.
About the project
For this project, I made portraits of 30 people born in 19 different countries that are living in the Bay Area today. I had everyone I photographed dress in a maritime outfit, expressing their inner Seafarer. The photographs were printed using the Cyanotype process on 15x22" Rives BFK paper.
Curious about what brought my Seafarers here, I had each of them write a short biography about their life´s journey. I recorded each person reading their bio and edited all of them into a sea of languages.
Their handwritten pages were printed using the Cyanotype process on mullberry paper and folded into boats. One boat for each person´s journey. The size of the boat signifies the number of years they have lived in the Bay area, the longer they have been here, the more, I assume, they have made this place their home. The boats are further sequenced by the distance of the place the people were born to San Jose.
Curious about what brought my Seafarers here, I had each of them write a short biography about their life´s journey. I recorded each person reading their bio and edited all of them into a sea of languages.
Their handwritten pages were printed using the Cyanotype process on mullberry paper and folded into boats. One boat for each person´s journey. The size of the boat signifies the number of years they have lived in the Bay area, the longer they have been here, the more, I assume, they have made this place their home. The boats are further sequenced by the distance of the place the people were born to San Jose.
Installation views of Seefahrer
Gallery 3, SJSU | San Jose, CA | April 2011
Gallery 3, SJSU | San Jose, CA | April 2011
Seefahrer Audio Interviews
Where are you from?
Reasons for Moving
What do you like best?
Plans and Dreams for the Future
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Introductions
Definitions of home
What do you miss the most?
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