Plattenbau Promenades: Christoph Montebelli
Millions of people around the globe live in Plattenbau structures. The majority of these were constructed in the second half of the twentieth century and always went hand in hand with lofty ambitions. They were intended to alleviate the housing shortage and to make daily life simpler. Often, however, the planned cities of the future came to symbolise failed utopias. The hoped-for social mixing largely failed to materialise and residents often felt marginalised. Christoph Montebelli (b. 1980) visited four Plattenbau housing estates on four continents—in Berlin, Hong Kong, Havana, and Zanzibar— and through his photographs explores the relationship between aspiration and reality. Free from oversimplification or prejudice, Plattenbau Promenades conveys powerful insight into these architectural enfants terribles and illustrates the dynamic interaction between local features, visions of an architectural aesthetic, and the people who live there.
Text in English and German.
Christoph Montebelli is a German and Austrian photographer, author and economist. His photographic work is particularly concerned with the visual effects of urbanisation, globalisation and climate change. He studied at the University of Rome and as a Fulbright Scholar at Yale University. Christoph Montebelli is particularly fascinated by the interplay between photography, architecture and literature. He had exhibitions in Rome, London, Paris, Rabat and Vienna, among others. For more details see http://christoph-montebelli.squarespace.com/about. His photo project about Pasolini's Rome was most recently shown in New York at the Italian Cultural Institute. He received various awards including Fine Art Photography Awards and PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris.