Mathias Braschler | Monica Fischer: Divided We Stand (Hardcover)

(Please scroll down for English version ) Als Donald Trump zum 45. Präsidenten der VereinigtenStaaten gewählt wurde, lebten die Schweizer Fotografen Monika Fischer und Mathias Braschler in New York. DasWahlergebnis verdeutlichte die tiefe Spaltung, die die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika und ihre Gesellschaft durchzieht - eine wachsende Spaltung, die die progressiven und konservativen Kräfte, die städtischen und die ländlichen Gebiete, das "rote" Zentrum des Landes und die "blauen"Küsten weiter auseinander driften lässt. In seiner ersten Amtszeit trug Präsident Trump nicht dazu bei, diese Kluft zu verringern. Mit seinen rassistisch-hetzerischen, polemisierenden medialen Kampagnen hat sich die Situation weiterzugespitzt, insbesondere während der Covid19-Pandemie und den Unruhen im Mai/Juni 2020.Trump ist jedoch nicht der Auslöser dieser Kluft. Seine Wahl kann als Folge interpretiert werden. Monika Fischer und Mathias Braschler beschlossen, einen Roadtrip durch die USA zu unternehmen, um Menschen aus allen Teilen des Landes und allen Teilen der Gesellschaft zu treffen. Im April 2019 machten Sie sich von New York City aus, in einem zu einem kleinen Wohnmobil mit integriertem Popup-Fotostudio ausgebauten Lieferwagen auf den Weg. In den folgenden Monaten fuhren sie 15.000 Meilen quer durch insgesamt 40 Staaten der USA. Sie porträtierten, interviewten und filmten Amerikaner aus allen Bevölkerungsschichten mit sehr unterschiedlichen Meinungen über ihr Leben, Politik und ihr Land. Fabrikarbeiter, Landwirte, Verkäufer, Dienstleister, Investmentbanker, Politiker, Studenten, Teenager, Rentner, Väter und Mütter... alle Altersgruppen, Ethnien, Berufe, Geschlechter sind in diesem Fotoprojekt vertreten, das die Zerrissenheit der Menschen und ihrer Nation aufzeigt, die 2020 vor einer entscheidenden Wahl stehen. DIVIDED WE STAND vereint 82 Porträts von Bürgern der Vereinigten Staaten und ihre ehrlichen Meinungen und Ansichten. Braschler & Fischer waren bei diesem Projekt von berühmten Vorbildern inspiriert, haben aber ihre ganz eigene zeitgenössische Interpretation des Porträtthemas geschaffen. Mathias Braschler & Monika Fischer leben und arbeiten in der Schweiz und in New York. Sie haben sich auf die Dokumentation von Menschen aller Hintergründe und Kulturen spezialisiert. Wichtige Projekte waren "China", "The Human Face of Climate Change“, "Act Now!“; "Faces of Football“. Andreas Ross beobachtete von 2013 bis 2018 als FAZ Korrespondent in Washington das Ende der Ära Obama und den aufkommenden Trumpismus. Seit November 2019 verantwortlicher FAZ Redakteur für Politik Online und stellvertretender verantwortlicher Redakteur Nachrichten. When Donald Trump was elected to be the forty-fifth president of the United States in 2016, Swiss photographers Monika Fischer and Mathias Braschler were in New York. The results of the election showed a deep divide running through the US and its society―a widening gap dividing the progressive and conservative forces, the urban and the rural, the “red” center of the country and the “blue” coasts. In his first term President Trump did not help to bridge this gap. With his personal style and racist-inflammatory political campaigns, the situation has worsened, especially during the Covid–19 pandemic and the riots of May/June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. But Trump’s election was only a consequence of this divide. Monika Fischer and Mathias Braschler decided to go on a field-research trip through the US in order to meet the people, from all parts of the country and all parts of society. In April 2019 they started a road trip with a van converted to a practical motorhome including a pop up photo-studio. After leaving New York City they drove 15.000 miles across the nation and visited 40 States. On this self-assigned project they met, interviewed, filmed, and portrayed Americans with a wide variety of backgrounds and very different opinions about life, politics, and their nation. From farmers, factory workers, service people, and investment bankers to politicians and students, all ages, races, professions, and genders are included in this great photographic project capturing a nation that currently finds itself approaching a crucial junction and needs to decide which road to take. DIVIDED WE STAND is the result of this extensive and intensive journey. It combines eighty-two portraits of citizens of the United States and their honest opinions and views about their world. Braschler and Fischer were inspired by famous photographers and their roadtrip-projects, but they created their very own contemporary approach and style for their portraits of the people of the United States. About the photographers Mathias Braschler & Monika Fischer live and work in Switzerland and New York. Their collaboration started in 2003 with a first project „About Americans“. They specialize in documenting people from all backgrounds and cultures. Major projects were “China”, “The Human Face of Climate Change”, “Act Now!”, "Faces of Football“. They won numerous awards, including a World Press Photo Award. Their work has appeared in major international magazines, was published in numerous monographs and and has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Andreas Ross was political correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in Washington D.C. from 2013 to 2018 and is currently it’s online editor in chief for politics and deputy news editor in chief.

When Donald Trump was elected to be the forty-fifth president of the United States, Swiss photographers Monika Fischer and Mathias Braschler were in New York. The results of the election and the current events show a deep divide running through the US and its society. Trump did not reduce this divide in his first term as president, as the riots in May/June 2020 proofed. Monika Fischer and Mathias Braschler decided to go on a field-research trip through the US in order to meet the people, from all parts of the country and all parts of society. They set out from New York City in April 2019, and in the following months they drove through forty American states. They met, interviewed, filmed, and made portraits of Americans with a wide variety of backgrounds and very different opinions about life, politics, and their nation. From farmers, service people, and investment bankers to politicians and students, all ages, races, professions, and genders are included in this photographic project capturing a nation that currently finds itself approaching a crucial junction and needs to decide which road to take. Divided We Stand is the result of this intensive and fascinating journey. It combines sixty-five portraits of American citizens and their honest opinions and views.