Facing East (Now and then on Usedom)

In time for the 19th anniversary of Germany's reunification and 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, I have put together images and text that bring closer what it feels like to have lived through both: east and west German times. The images are taken whilst producing a travelogue on Usedom.

Photographing closely with the community, I documented with portraits the experiences of some of the area's key residents and with the support of my journalist husband we began investigating the unfolding stories of ownership, identity and belonging.

Click on the images to see a larger version and/or check out the BBC feature gallery here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8284370.stm









Usedom is an island situated on the Baltic coast. It belongs to the north German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was a part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was separated from the West for 45 years with the Berlin Wall going up in 1961. Usedom is fascinating as it is partly German, partly Polish, an island split into two countries. The borders have shifted a few times in history each country believing it belongs to them- but that's another story.

Still, Usedom's residents are constantly reminded of their former communist past, many even hold dear a time of community and togetherness, unaffected by the trappings of capitalism.
20 years after the fall of the Wall many stories remain untold.

I hope to return to Usedom to continue the stories of its residents and the area's re-development from being one of the biggest communist social tourism resorts in Europe to a modern holiday destination.