For several years I have been a regular concertgoer of metal, rock and punk concerts. At these concerts, the moshpit is a common way to move to the music. A moshpit is an area, usually in front of the stage, where concertgoers randomly push each other around. My main motivation to photograph this topic is that I like to participate in these moshpits myself and I want to find out what the motivations are to move in this violent-like way. The long break from concerts caused by the pandemic has made me think more about what it actually means to me and motivated me to look more deeply into the subject. The moshpit gives me the opportunity to release any frustrations or aggression in a considerate-ish way. It has a similar therapeutic effect for me as physical excercise does. It is an intense activity, where in order not to fall over, with all my strength, I try to hold my ground against other bodies in the room. To me the moshpit represents a possible primal desire for simple and non-biased movement. My exploration of the phenomenon deals strongly with the ambivalence between violence and pleasure. This activity, of course, brings with it a strong risk of injury. The good thing is that most of the participants are aware of this risk and that's why they take extra good care of each other. There is a common understanding that if someone falls over, without thinking about it, they will help each other up again.
Energy, physicality, distress, exhaustion, violence, escape, ecstasy, trust and community are key themes in the photographs.
Diploma Exhibition at F+F Schule für Kunst und Design - 2022