Die Natur vor uns

Exploring the Wadden Sea, Courland Spit and Iceland with his film and stills cameras: the almost forgotten film and photo artist Alfred Ehrhardt was looking for the natural, unintended beauty, for nature as the creator of artistic forms, fascinated by primal spaces still governed by the elemental powers. Ehrhardt (1901–1984) studied Bauhaus, was a student of Klee and Kandinsky, and became one of the most important photographers of the Neue Sachlichkeit movement. He received many film awards and published several books. Nevertheless, his work sank into oblivion. Film director Niels Bolbrinker congenially rediscovers it, in archives as well as on location, providing us with just as fascinating and fantastic images. Bolbrinker relates Ehrhardt’s natural philosophical vision of nature and landscape to our modern understanding of the environment, shaped by science and technology. In these times of environmental crisis, Ehrhardt’s warning that we should handle “the nature in front of us” with respect is more relevant than ever. (DOK.fest München)