Simon Hoegsberg is a Danish freelance photographer whose projects are truly moving.
We’re All Gonna Die
Simon’s famous We’re All Gonna Die 100m long portraits of 178 people, taken during 20 days from a railroad bridge in Berlin. It took Simon 17 months to sort out the 3000 pictures and come with this incredible image.
When I read the title, I immediately labelled it with the usual dark and fearful words. But Simon didn’t mean it that way; to him, the very fact that indeed we’re all going to die, is a powerful reminder to share the love and joy of living we’ve been provided. Actually, that message flows and shine from the 100m long picture.
The first time I look at the picture, I spent half an hour, just looking, speechless, thoughtless. I was midly aware of the discrepency between my previous fearful label and the power of message transcribed from the picture.
You can read an interview from Simon about this project here: Interview with Simon Hoegsberg.
His other projects
I’ve been drawned to Simon other projects. I completely forgot the images, as they seem to be the harbingers, not the mean in the end that “common” photography is, today.
One of his project, Faces of New York is about asking “random” people what they’re thinking about their face. I put the “random” in quotes, because Simon seems to be attracted to people who are also conveying a powerful message.
The woman pictured here, for example, thanks God for the face she’s been given and loves it.
You can label each face, think it is beautiful or not, in the end, these are just thoughts. Meaningless thoughts that create a meaningless world. God (or whatever name you’ll call It), did really create this meaningless world? Or is that our meaningless thoughts that create this meaningless world?
Looking at the faces Simon chose for his project was for me a powerful excercice to become aware of all the thoughts and labels I was projecting.
Travels
Another type of project from Simon, are to travel from one place to another with challenging means. For instance, he travelled from Copenhagen to Istanbul on bike.
Copenhagen/Istanbul also conveys a powerful message; if you’re aware and open, not matter what happens to you, help will comes.
Somehow, it’s more a journey into life than a geographical journey.
Free advices + coffee
Simon’s latest project Free advice + coffee seems to be leading more obviously to consciousness than photography.
During one week, 5 hours a day, Simon offered free advices and coffee. About 50 people stopped, all of them sharing existential problems.
What is beautiful in Simon’s work, is that he is discovering the world from experience and then know, opposed to “know about”, which is mind stuff. For example, he said that he noticed from experience that people don’t need advice, as they know the answer themselves. For many of us, it takes psychological studies, coach practices and quiet a bunch of theory just to realize this simple fact. It requires also a lot of humility and openess, to admit that we know nothing.
By letting a complete stranger enters their life, people allowed to opportunity to be truely listen to and maybe, from this shared awareness would come an answer.
Spirit is higher
This is the story about a crippled woman who decided to climb Sweden’s highest mountain.
What happens when you let go? When you surrender to what is? Anette is a beautiful woman showing us that we can move beyond our physical pains. That by letting go of our victim status, we serve the highest good.
Once more, Simon offers a deep regard on human nature, with delicacy and openess. Either your heart opens and love flows, either you move on untouched. The choice is ours, always.
I would like to thanks Simon for his work.
