CLACK!
Postcard from Camping spot in Rimini, 1959
Work Series / 2004 - 2010  
Clack!
The images where part of one Group and one Solo Exhibtions with the Title «Verso Sud» together with Gallery Max Bollag, Zurich and also shown in Russo, a village in the southern part of Switzerland.  Additionally, the collection included twelve still-life photographs, each capturing objects typically associated with travelling southwards. The Clack! images below  were meticulously printed on A6 Baryt paper, each in a limited edition of 25. The still-life images, on the other hand, were carefully printed on delicate, greyish A1 60 gramm paper, each as a unique edition, embodying the singular essence of the subject captured. The images and exhibitions were specially mentioned on the blog of swissmiss.com, which was founded by Swiss-American digital pioneer Tina Roth Eisenberg as well as in an article in the german written Newpaper «Tessiner Zeitung».

All started in 2004 with several old Bakelit Cameras from the 50&60’s and was followed by many technical experiments. This kind of cameras were invented in the mid 30’s of the last Century and affordable for a wide public. In the late postwar period and the following economic boom years Mass Tourism had it’s „Hour of Birth“ and Millions of this small and easy usable cameras were sold – and among other reasons the images where used as proof of authencity for the ones back home. 

The following selection of images are a contemporary reminiscence to this topic. Clack! opens field of narrations and brings it into an artistic context. The series found it’s conclusion 2012 in two exhibitions () 
after six years and hundreds of pictures around the globe. 


  



In the post-war era, as Germany emerged from the rubble, its citizens yearned for respite—a chance to escape the toil of rebuilding and glimpse a world beyond their borders. The 1960s marked a turning point, fueled by economic prosperity, labor reforms, and an expanding middle class.

 Italy, with its sun-drenched allure, beckoned. The melodies of “Capri-Fischer” and  “O sole mio” resonated, stirring wanderlust. Germans envisioned sunsets over Capri’s azure waters, a mere ten square kilometers cradling their dreams.

The 1950s had seen modest travel—explorations of the North Sea, the Black Forest, and the Bavarian Alps. A week’s respite sufficed, nights spent in tents or basic hostels. Vacation was a rarity, earned through six-day workweeks.

But the '60s heralded change. The economic miracle infused households with disposable income. Unions secured more leisure time, and the five-day workweek allowed indulgences. Vacation became a status symbol.

Guesthouses and rented rooms hosted their dreams. Slide-show evenings became forums for sharing tales of sun-kissed shores. The tide surged—13 million West Germans traveled in 1960, three million more the next year.

Italy, once a distant dream, now lay within reach. Spain replaced it as the favored destination—Mallorca, Costa Brava, Costa del Sol. Concrete hotel fortresses rose against cerulean skies.

«German Tourism and Italy: A Socioeconomic Exploration»  Personal Research notes, June 2008

Selection of Clack!





Only a few thousand cars 
per day where passing the 
Gotthardpass southwards 
in the 1960’s. Yearly. 

In 2023 17’000 each day.

 Statistics of the Swiss Federal Statistic Office, Ministry of Transport