Does it automatically go downhill with age? On the contrary, say Jule Kühn and Susanne Lencinas – and with their photo project “Bloomed” they stage old age as the prime of life.
Photo project “Bloomed” – 15 inspiring women
BRIGITTE: Your photos are characterized by opulence and an abundance of flowers and colors. How does this lavish staging fit with the topic of age?
Jule Kuehn: Good question that I just want to turn around: Why not Lushness and colors in old age?
Susanne Lencinas: People often dress so inconspicuously as they get older. But why actually? Maturity has something to do with flowering.
Is that why your photo project is called “Bloomed” even though you show people fading away?
Jule: For me it is natural to equate maturity with bloom. I find it totally weird not to do that. Perhaps a flower that is about to fade is even at the peak of its beauty. At the end of life one usually looks back on opulence and abundance, on a collection, a treasure.
Suzanne: “Young equals flowering” is only a narrative. Maybe you can change the narrative and attribute the flowering to age. But we don’t photograph people who have been in nursing beds for years, I wouldn’t call that a bloom either. We all know there are horror stories out there.
For you, old age is like a lush bouquet of flowers.
Suzanne: It has even been proven that flowers play a greater role in old age. I see that in myself too: flowers are becoming more important. The blossom in the garden is only there for this moment and I notice it more now. I think it has something to do with being more aware of impermanence than when you were young. In art history too, flowers are a momento mori, a reminder of one’s own mortality.
Jule: Flowers are almost like a world language. Blossoming, blossoming, fading – everyone can do something with flowers as symbols. And a flower is something positive through and through, for almost everyone it conveys beauty. They also bring back memories for many older people.
Suzanne: During the shoot, for example, Lilo remembered that she had always liked daisies as a child.
In your photos I see a peasant woman, an adventuress, also religious symbols: How did these stagings come about?
Jule: Beforehand, we ask the seniors what their favorite flowers are. Then we go to their house and also bring photo backgrounds and props, maybe a scarf or a hat. We get to know each other over a cup of coffee, look around in their familiar surroundings and see what their hearts are about. In this way we quickly get a feeling for what kind of person we are dealing with. The staging is then always spontaneous. I ask: what do you like, do you perhaps have another blouse that fits well? The process of photographing always happens in unison, which is very important.
How do you find your models?
Suzanne: First we asked around among our friends and acquaintances, then word got around more and more. And at some point care facilities also approached us.
What criteria do your protagonists have to meet?
Jule: Not so young hoppers at 70! Actually over 80.
Where does your love for old people come from?
Jule: When I was young, I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers and great-aunts and I always found it extremely enriching. An aunt, for example, was incredibly calm at the age of 93. Despite everything she experienced during the war, she was deeply relaxed and full of love. I also love the authenticity of the old people. All those filters that we use when we talk to each other, they don’t exist anymore. They are what they are. That is a role model for me.
Suzanne: It’s a bit different for me than for Jule. With the project I deal with my fear of aging. You have to positively strengthen yourself as you get older. My friend’s grandmother, who was always extremely fit, now sits alone in the nursing home all day and still manages to be in a good mood. I admire the resilience of this woman!
Aren’t you afraid of aging, Jule Kühn?
Jule: No, I’m not that afraid at all. I think: Yes, and then you just get older. So what?
Further information and photos at www.aufgeblumet.de