As part of the Artist Dis-Placement program run by the ZK/U (Center for Art and Urbanistics), I worked as an artist at the Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s nationally owned, though privately run, rail company. Deutsche Bahn, ZK/U and I together agreed a completely open brief, meaning that I had the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look into numerous aspects of the everyday running of the company. This is the first and only such brief in the Deutsche Bahn, as far as I know.
This video essay brings together visual aspects of the time spent at the company with an accompanying voice over. It covers visits to numerous parts of the company, such as a time lapse of the ‘shifting’ of a railway bridge; high speed passenger trains, a journey on a freight train, various office situations and more. It offers a highly subjective take on the culture at the Deutsche Bahn, and inspired further investigation into broader questions around mobility.
It inspired me to go on to learn more about broader issues around mobility - looking at safety, spacial justice on the streets, CO2 emissions and particularly aviation.
