BABEL

Tobias Raffel, Uli Schaub, Barbara Töpper-Fennel

BABEL – Linguistic confusion, loss of communication, talking at cross-purposes. Global movement creates a conglomeration of cultural, social, and economic differences. Is a common language possible without destroying multiplicity?
Barbara Töpper-Fennel photographed and interviewed youths living in Berlin about their experiences and fears for the future. While nearly all of them share high expectations for a self-determined life, this desire is countered by fears of not living up to the presumed global standards.
Tobias Raffel, deployed as an election observer, has been photographing events surrounding the polling station for five years. His series amasses images from countries on the southern and easternmost fringes of Europe. Belonging or not – this is often the question at the heart of political conflict.
With his yodelling installation Hau Dri Lei Ho, which consists of portraits and sound samples, Uli Schaub demonstrates that yodelling is far more than what can be seen on television. It was and remains a form of communication, among other things a method for conveying information over long distances. Yodelling is practiced all over the world – the Berlin urban yodelling choir brings this wordless song to the big city.