A photographic study of Berliner graffiti writers.
»To be a writer is a big secret. It’s the biggest secret that i keep from my parents. You don’t tell many people, you only tell people who you can trust. There is a big impulse to maintain secrecy.«
DUKO
The photobook burning down the house offers an in depth look at Berlin’s graffiti writer scene for the first time. Against the backdrop of publicly accessible and non-accessible surfaces being continually written upon, a constant presence of the subject in the media in relation to the surveillance of public space, the increasing costs of removal on behalf of transport companies and the accompanying harsher penalties for graffiti offences, the author Norman Behrendt has over a five year period approached the subject of graffiti writing in his own way.
Detached from stereotypes and with the conscious decision to forgo the depiction of graffiti, Behrendt aims to introduce the anonymous authors of Berlin’s public space and give a human face to the often-discussed subject of the illegal writing on the wall.
Instead of accompanying the graffiti writers on their nocturnal adventures and photographing them in action at the scene of their work’s execution, Behrendt decided on quieter alternative — a portrait.
»The lifestyle, the intensive attitude to life, the uninterrupted urge to realize one’s potential — these are the essential aspects of the phenomenon that is graffiti that, in their particular concentration and saturation in individual persons, interest me and appeal to me photographically in portraits.«
N. behrendt
The photobook burning down the house includes about 80 portraits of very differently operating graffiti writers. It consists of two different photographic portrait series.
For the first series Behrendt met the writers with an analog medium format camera and a precise concept, which included two important questions: 1. In which location should the portrait be created? and, 2. How would the writer like to reveal themself? For the second series Behrendt photographed the writers with a Polaroid camera so that they were recognizable, and thus possibly identifiable, in the subway stations of Berlin. He then gave them back the Polaroid photo and asked their permission to use the image, so that it could be published. The resulting portraits testify in an illustrative way to the tense relationship between visibility and anonymity, between possible recognition and the accompanying possible identification by third parties, or, ultimately, even the police.
Finally, the book contains 76 interviews with the individual artists. It creates an intimate picture of the protagonists, which manifests itself in their answers to the questions of motivation, their own representation and their selected locations.
»I want to create the opportunity to engage with the people, their identities and their places of personal significance. these are the places that on the one hand serve as a stage for the writers in the portraits, in which they present and create themselves, and on the other hand are places that represent scenes and spaces of possibility, which carry with them the potential of allegory and can be used as a metaphor of certain stories.«
N. behrendt
»Graffiti and photographs are, whether created with paint or with light, cultural techniques of visualization. Out of a coloured mist or a chemical bath materialize signs which reveal the surfaces of the world. Photographers seek out extracts of reality in order to reveal them in a certain light. They observe from a distance and look for the moment in which the ‘pencil of nature’ can be immortalized.
Earthly writers, however, seek direct contact in that they write upon the world by fixating almost immediately to the formats of the urban design with spray cans. Their signatures populate the impeccable undergrounds of public transport, walls, glass surfaces and street furniture and as a result make them visible. Their projections arise out of the desire to see their names everywhere. Mounted in shadows, in daylight they reveal extracts of the city in a certain light.«
je spurloser
burning down the house, 2007—2012
A photographic study of Berliner graffiti writers.
Facts & Features:
hardcover, original BVG upholstery binding
21 x 26 cm, 424 pages, 218 images
four different paper types, thread stitching
83 interviews
foreword by AMIK, CITY, LIMP.H, EAST, EXOT and DUKO epilogue by FACH, BURN, CHIKA, BMOS, SOE and ...
date of release: 01/2015
language: german and english edition 750 copies printed in germany
published by seltmann+söhne
ISBN 978-3-944721-23-1
N E W S
01-09-2016 — 04-09-2016
Burning down the house at
La Vallée in Brussels
group exhibition, 01-09-2016 — 04-09-2016, “La Vallée”, Rue Adolphe Lavallée 39, 1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Brussels, Belgium
Accompanied by the work of other great artists my work burning down the house will be shown in the mezzanine space of La Vallée in Brussels as a solo show.
Urban Spree is invited by La Vallée in Brussels to celebrate their first anniversary.
Burning down the house will be part of the first contemporary art festival "Freierfest" in Odessa, Ukraine!
group exhibition, 25-08-2016 — 30-08-2016, Odessa, Ukraine
Along with the work of other great artists my work burning down the house will be shown for the first time at the First Odessa International Festival of Modern Art and New Urban Culture in Ukraine.
19 photographic works by students of Prof. Wiebke Loeper
The exhibition presents different approaches to documentary photography and invites to Potsdam to get together for an exchange on the medium of photobook. The exhibition covers a wide range of subjects related to urban space, questions of identity up to the topic of hidden visibility.
Burning down the house, Special-Edition is out now!
My photobook burning down the house, 2007—2012 — a photographic study of Berliner graffiti writers was published in January 2015 to successful acclaim by Seltmann+Söhne. Just after a few months the 700 copies of the first edition were rapidly sold out.
From now on the Special-Edition of burning down the house is ready to order. Limited to 30 unique copies only. Every book comes signed and numbered wrapped in the original and historic S-Bahn Berlin upholstery binding. The unique black slipcase is signed by the writers of the book. The Special-Edition-package includes a signed inkjet print on Hahnemühle Photorag 308g in a size of 19x19cm. There are 3 possible images for choice in an edition of 10 each.
The price of the special edition is 275€ + shipping. The delivery time and the shipping costs will depend on the shipping method and destination. After receiving your order address, I will send the total price including the shipping costs to you. I accept bank transfer and paypal.
If you have any questions or any inquiries feel free to contact me.
25-06-2015
installation views of my ongoing solo exhibition
at Urban Spree Gallery Berlin
solo exhibition, 05-06-2015 — 04-07-2015, Urban Spree Gallery, 99 Revaler Straße, Berlin
05-06-2015 — 04-07-2015
burning down the house at Urban Spree Gallery Berlin,
solo exhibition and presentation of the special-edition
solo exhibition, 05-06-2015 — 04-07-2015, Urban Spree Gallery, 99 Revaler Straße, Berlin
Urban Spree Gallery is proud to present in Berlin the exhibition « burning down the house » from June 5th to July 4th, 2015.
The photograhic series offers an intimate and unusual foray into the most secretive artists of the german metropolis.
Graffiti writers belong to a fast track, invisible legion of subway, train yards and street roamers who usually operate without anyone in sight, a nocturnal secret society shrouded in mystery and whose anonymity is vital for their self preservation. Their name travels widely across the whole city train lines but their identity is never revealed.
Burning down the house will be part of the Open Submission exhibition at Belfast Photo Festival 2015.
group exhibition, 04-06-2015 — 30-06-2015, Belfast, N. Ireland
From over 1430 applicants my work "burning down the house" has been selected in the 2015 Open Submission exhibition at this year’s Belfast Photo Festival as one of only 20 winners.
My book "burning down the house" has been shortlisted for the Athens Photo Festival 2015.
03-06-2015 — 31-07-2015, Benaki Museum Pireos Annexe, Pireos 138 and Andronikou, 118 54 Athens, Greece
In recognition of the increasing importance of the photobook in contemporary photographic practice, as a medium of experimentation, production and distribution for artists, the Festival is introducing a new specific exhibition especially oriented to the the form of the photobook.
Over 900 books were submitted in response to an open call in relation to this year’s theme. A wide variety of over 370 photobooks is displayed as part of the main programme of the Athens Photo Festival 2015, including photobooks independently or commercially published and distributed, handmade, self-published, book dummies, exhibition catalogues, zines and limited edition photography books, etc.
In addition to the exhibition, the books will be featured through a dedicated online platform, reaching a wider audience. This page will be up and running in September.
"Die Ränder des Dokumentarischen" at HO Berlin,
group exhibition, book-show and artist talks
group exhibition, 10-04-2015 — 18-04-2015, HO Berlin, 66 Holzmarktstrasse, D-10179 Berlin
19 photographic works by students of Prof. Wiebke Loeper
The exhibition presents different approaches to documentary photography and invites to Potsdam to get together for an exchange on the medium of photobook. The exhibition covers a wide range of subjects related to urban space, questions of identity up to the topic of hidden visibility.
Guests: Anne König (Spector Books), Elisabeth Neudörfl and Heidi Specker.
My book at Walther König Buchhandlung Berlin, seen by Wolfram Kornemann. Thx.
06-12-2014 — 01-03-2015
burning down the house at gallery "Alles Mögliche",
exhibition and book presentation
solo exhibition, 06-12-2014 — 01-03-2015, gallery "Alles Mögliche", 21 Odenwaldstraße, Berlin
Is there a reason for an apartment or gallery fire? Why not? On the 6th of December we present "burning down the house" by Norman Behrendt from Berlin in our gallery.
For many years Norman took portraits of Berlin`s Graffiti-Artists. Strange guys at weird places.
His work gained interest and attention: the project "burning down the house" was not only one of the finalists of FEX — Experimental photography and images from the underground in Dortmund, the book itself won the well-known Fotobook-Dummy-Award 2013. The release is expected since September 2014 — we strongly hope that we can present some copys at the vernissage on the 6th of December, 7pm.
Truths, Facts, Fictions, Lies.
burning down the house selected for the main show at PhotoIreland 2014
PhotoIreland Festival 2014, 01-07-2014 — 31-07-2014, 4 Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland
Presenting selected projects by 24 photographers and 2 artist/curators collectives.
Exhibitions, screenings and photobook presentations.
We seek, produce, use, and consume all kind of images in our everyday. Whether in the private or the public sphere, we need them for sharing and obtaining details regarding experiences, news, and events. They serve to illustrate ideas that in turn endorse or contest other ideas. With these images, through storytelling, we shape public opinion and enjoy a shared sense of what is true, what is real. The way we understand our reality then is through these fragmented stories that we tell ourselves. Some of them may be accepted as truths, some others understood as mere myths, legends, hoaxes, or lies. It is all about storytelling.
burning down the house selected by Parmigiano Depot
Exhibition: 27-06-2014 — 13-07-2014, gallery "The Next Small Thing", 28 Ickstattstraße, 80469 – Munich
A group exhibition together with Clemens Behr, Dominik, Benjamin Kunath, LesMis, Max Pilger, Osif Seiksuh, Georg Veith and Moritz Zeller.
Blog-collective "Parmigiano Depot" presents his heavy likes. Central theme of the exhibition are innovative visual solutions through abstraction, codes and materiality.
Spontaneous, playful, shocking: FEX - Experimental photography and images from the underground.
What do these terms mean in the flood of digital images and the continuous availability of data nowadays? Where is the real underground — gone, disappeared, mainstream or already consumed by the individual creative madness?
Künstlerhaus Dortmund initiated a photo competition with the focus on the latest developments in this field. From 234 applications the jury selected ten works, which will be presented in an exhibition at "Künstlerhaus Dortmund".
The catalogue "Bilder aus dem Untergrund — Zeigen und Verbergen" was printed on the occasion of the exhibition by publisher Kettler and can be purchased at the exhibition for a special price.
15th of March 2014, Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, 11 Wächterstrasse, 04107 – Leipzig
Burning down the house will be on showcase at It`s a book — Independent Publishing Fair Leipzig.
“It’s a Book” is an independent publishing fair taking place on 15th of March 2014 at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, in correspondence to the Leipzig Book Fair. Entrepreneurs of the international independent publishing-scene are looking forward to meeting interested visitors and exchanging books and ideas.
17-11-2013, gallery ErsterErster, 69 Pappelallee, 10437 – Berlin
On sunday, 17-11-2013 photographers of the University of Applied Sciences present their limited editions and photobooks to a bigger audience. All books were supervised by Prof. Wiebke Loeper.
At 2pm three alumni of the University of Applied Sciences will be introduced:
1. Norman Behrendt, “Burning down the house” — Winner of the Photobook Dummy-Award 2013 (1. Prize)
2. Robert Beyer, “Fahrtenschwimmer” — Photobook Dummy-Award 2013 (3. Prize)
3. Annika Riethmüller (designer), “KOPAL”, in cooperation with Frank Mädler and the Jane-Corkin-Gallery
The first prize goes to Norman Behrendt and his book »Burning down the house«.
This dummy impressed the jury the most as it felt that not only had a great deal of work gone into photographing and compiling the extensive book as a whole, but that its “packaging” perfectly suited its subject matter on Berlin graffiti writers, i.e. in that the paper used for the cover was based on the design of the seating material used in Berlin S-Bahn trains. A well-conceived and striking object!
(Curt Holtz, Prestel Publishing, Jury member)
Main Jury: John Gossage (Photographer, Bookmaker, Washington), Curt Holtz (Prestel Publishing, Munich), Russet Ledermann (Media Artist, Researcher and Photobook Collector, New York), Andreas Müller-Pohle, (Media Artist, European Photography, Berlin), Markus Schaden (Photobook Specialist, Curator, Cologne) and Oliver Seltmann (Publisher Seltmann+Soehne, Berlin)
Finalist at 10th Aenne Biermann Prize for Contemporary German Photography
Exhibition: 15-10-2013 — 26-01-2014, 37 Greizer Straße, 07545 – Gera
I am very happy because my work was honored in the competition of the 10th Aenne Biermann Prize for Contemporary German Photography and is now being shown together with 16 other outstanding photographic positions in the Museum of Applied Arts Gera.
Exhibition: 06-09-2013 — 08-09-2013, 6, Impasse de la Défense, 75018 – Paris
From the 6th to the 8th of September, Le BAL will present the 2013 Photo-book Award and the Dummy Award with a fantastic selection of the best books and dummies of the year!
During those three days festival, le BAL is transformed into an image laboratory, sharing the publishers, photographers and curators main interrogations and answers on the book making process.
The best 50 dummies of the year, selected by a prestigious jury will be presented in the main exhibition room. A group of 35 publishers, curators, book collectors and critics were invited to select the most remarkable photo-books published in 2013 with a special feature for Japanese books.
Exhibition: 1-07-2013 — 31-07-2013, 4 Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Ireland
Inside the box: my photobook burning down the house being displayed at "LE BAL", Paris.
The 55 selected books from Fotobookfestival Kassel are now on their way to LE BAL — very well protected, inside these boxes, so the French public can enjoy the photobooks in all their glory. We had fun and enjoyed them, we hope you do too!
burning down the house shortlisted for the Photobook Dummy Award 2013
In total, 483 photobooks from 34 countries all over the world were entered for the 2013 International Photobook Dummy Award, from South Africa to Norway, from Russia to Australia, from Japan to America, from China to Brazil.
The first selection resulted in 55 photobooks chosen by Chiara Capodici (Curator, Treterzi, Rome), Sebastian Hau (Le Bal Books, Paris), Dieter Neubert (Director Fotobookfestival, Kassel), Fiorenza Pinna (Curator, Treterzi, Rome), Markus Schaden (Curator, schaden.com, Cologne), Inga Schneider (Curator, Cologne) and Thomas Wiegand (Blogger, Art Historian, Kassel). These 55 photobook dummies are on display in Milan »MIA | Milan Image Art Fair« (10 to 12 May), in Dublin »PhotoIreland Festival« (1 to 31 July), in Paris »Le Bal« (6 to 8 September), and in Kassel »6. Fotobookfestival« (24 to 27 October).
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