HobbyBuddies

“In their HobbyBuddies series, Ursula and Andi have staged complex group portraits of people who share interests and thus regularly meet. The subjects differ in terms of the age group, ethnicity, and religious beliefs. Regardless of what they call themselves –associations, clubs, cliques or leagues– the common thread among them is commitment and passion for their shared pursuits.
 Through extensive research and planning, these portraits were scheduled and produced at specific locations, with backgrounds and props built and arranged to feature the members of each group. The number of subjects, their clothing, the props, the accessories – nothing was left to the matter of chance. A meticulous procedure was instrumental in creating these unusual, intriguing, perplexing and humorous images that refer to the traditional forms of 19th century group photography. HobbyBuddies is the continuance of a classic form of group portraiture within the context of our visual lexicon in the 21st century. The project is a collection of contemporary documents of people engaging in leisurely pursuits.”
Text by Michael Mehl.