Urs Mac

Sometimes it takes years or even decades to gain certain insights. I was raised with the strict principle "First work, then pleasure," which taught me discipline. But the idea of having to "do something first" before being allowed to "enjoy something" also has its downsides. It's not always just about the contrast between pleasure and duty. It's also about the question of whether to try something new or stick to daily routines. Right now, I'm breaking this rule, and that's why this photo came about.

I capture faces. A scarf blows stubbornly straight ahead, like chimneys often do. Waves like mountains. Black in many shades. Crow! Kik-kik-kik-kiker-iih! I surrender, like ink spreading out. Space is space. With both arms outstretched, feeling nothing. Who would have thought that the smallest, wildest child I once was claimed you could stay dry if you just jumped in and out of a puddle fast enough? I was never allowed to try it as often as I had to practice math, for example. The city's fog is too salty, almost a lie. I think of seagulls. Surf crashes against the facades, again and again. Today I say, if I ran naked fast enough through the cold, swirling neighborhoods, I would glow, I would be that hot.

A magical moment captured with my Q. This evening, in my office, I photographed a wonderful woman. The song Honigmelonemond (MTV Unplugged) by Patent Ochsner was playing exactly at the moment of this picture.