Front cover, Photograph, image source: Artist’s website, © Jens Franke

Work Description

For decades, Berlin has been celebrated as a place of sexual liberation, particularly within LGBTQ+ communities. Central to this narrative are the city's clubs, parties, and also darkrooms—booths enabling (often anonymous) sexual encounters in public spaces. With the arrival of the Covid pandemic, these spaces became inaccessible, giving rise to new spatial forms, such as testing and vaccination centers, which often repurposed existing venues like closed-down clubs and bars. The Covid and darkroom booths share an unexpected aura of mysticism and promiscuity. The book compares these spaces using photos and texts.

Publisher
Release Place Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Edition 1st edition
Release Date 2025
ISBN 978-3-86485-314-2
Credits
Designer: Max Prediger
Artist: Jens Franke
Supporters: Kunststiftung NRW
Identifiers
ISBN: 978-3-86485-314-2
Work  
Subform Photobook
Topics Architecture, Contagion, Covid, Cruising, Sexuality
Methods Photography, Writing
Language English, German
Work Creation Date 2021 – 2022
Format Hardcover
Binding Saddle Stitched
Dimensions 19.8 × 29.6 cm
Individual Sections 1
Pages 60
Color 2, Pantone
Technique Offset
Pages 4
Color 1, Pantone
Technique Offset