Addiction: Image

Since 2012, photography workshops have been organised in the residential care homes of the 'Grüner Kreis' addiction treatment centre. Working with a camera and looking through the viewfinder enables participants to consciously perceive their own view of the world and to visualise it.

A second aspect is the portrait. But how does one portray people struggling with addiction without showing their faces – and thus infringing on their privacy – whilst still allowing their self-esteem and dignity to shine through? Together, they agreed on the gesture of 'hands behind the head and elbows outwards', as it conveys a variety of meanings. With your hands behind your head, you cannot defend yourself; you are at the mercy of others – a humiliating experience that many clients have already endured. Sometimes, however, you clasp your hands behind your head, take a deep breath and relax – a gesture of well-being. Clasping your hands behind your head also signifies, however, that you feel superior and are not afraid of being attacked.

The participants were free to choose how to interpret and perform the gesture – some merely hint at it or place just one hand on the back of their neck, whilst others run their fingers through their hair. Sometimes it is the hairstyle or a piece of jewellery that catches the eye, or tattoos that hint at particular life stories.