The photographer Andreas Jorns, from Haan (near Düsseldorf), came to Alkersum with the intention of producing a series about teenagers and young adults. Focused on 14- to 20-year-olds living on the island of Föhr, the photographs show them during a part of the year when the island’s visitors are gone and the days are short. How do these young people fare, living on the island? How do they spend their time? What is distinctive about life on a North Frisian island? For his six-week stay, Jorns wanted to get to know teenagers and young adults on the island and to find answers to these questions, creating a photographic record. He took photographs in clubs, at celebrations and other social events, but also made individual portraits, creating more than 2,500 photos during this period.
Jorns writes: “My six weeks on Föhr as an artist-in-residence in the programme established by the Museum Kunst der Westküste are over, and I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who participated, supported me and always welcomed me with open arms. Thank you to the Eilun Feer Skuul for providing such positive support for the project and thank you to Peter-Boy Weber for setting things in motion and for his hospitality. Thank you to the MKdW for the opportunity and the freedom that you gave me as an artist! And not least of all: THANK YOU to everyone who was in front of my camera! Every single one of you enriched this project! I’ll be back at the end of March … and I’m really looking forward to it! The photo was created at the grand finale photo shoot on the beach in Nieblum. A total of 70 (!) young people gathered in front of my camera one more time and lots of parents, sports and music coaches were there to experience the whole thing, thus once again demonstrating the islanders’ exceptional level of engagement in this project … THANK YOU!”
