Essence
Kern des Machens
«ESSENCE» is a unique photo book about humankind and its creativity. A book about life-wisdom, a book that tells stories, a book one can learn from and be inspired by. Awarded with the "Deutscher Photobuchpreis" 2005
Hardcover, Bound in black linen, Embossed, Dust jacket
218 x 290 mm, 192 pages, Duplex prints, in German
Published by OFFIZIN Zurich Verlag
ISBN-13: 978-3-907496-39-8
1st Edition: 09/2005 - SOLD OUT
2nd Edition: 02/2006 - SOLD OUT
Last copies
The creative thought that has inspired this book found its origin in my fundamental interest in people, their experiences and wisdom.
It is about the essence: the nature of humankind and the very substance of creation. I explore it through three different elements: hands, handwriting and ideas.
The portrayal of a person through hand photographs opens up an extremely interesting, very personal perspective. The hand symbolically stands for the tool of creation. Through handwriting, one unconsciously leaves an image of himself, and by the thoughts contained in it, he reveals something of his way of thinking.
It seems to me that people, as extremely multifaceted and highly intelligent beings, are hindered precisely by the fact that they can benefit only to a limited extent from the life experience of their predecessors. Is it the disinterest in opinions of elders, is it the conviction that one does it better than everyone else anyway, or is it like in love, this irrational wonderfulness, where all advice seems to be in vain? Why does every generation always have to torment itself with the same life questions? I hope that the many thoughts in this book will inspire you.
Dino Simonett Res Strehle Jakob Kellenberger Franco Ambrosetti André Dosé Josef Estermann Carla Del Ponte Peter Bichsel André Kudelski Philipp Fankhauser Kurt Wüthrich Werner Spross Peter Grieder Horst Petermann Maria Becker Tito Tettamanti Robert Barth Rolf Lyssy Adrian Frutiger Klaus J. Jacobs Viktor E. Meyer Claude Nobs Georg Gerster Suzanne Speich Franz Hohler Erich Von Däniken Jean Ziegler Hans Erni Karl Wandeler Frank Rinderknecht Beatrice Tschanz Christian Frei Robert Jan Meyer Moritz Suter Helmut Holzhey Ernst Hiestand Christian Hugentobler Hazy Osterwald Mario Botta Christina Surer George Gruntz Theo Hotz Claude Verdan Beat Curti César Keiser Willi Engeli Dimitri Hugo Loetscher Carolina Müller-Möhl Cédric A. George Hans Rudolf Giger René Zellweger David Zinman Rudolf Fischer Dieter Meier Willy Guhl Philipp Keel Oswald J. Grübel Elmar Ledergerber Luigi Snozzi Alfred Hiestand Jörg Zintzmeyer Gerhart Isler Emil Steinberger Hansheinrich Zweifel Lydia Woerlen Albert Kriemler Rolf Bloch Otto Stich