The Last Year of Childhood

The Last Year of Childhood, tells of the transition from childhood to adulthood. It brings together images from the mysterious realm between carelessness and quirkiness - and is a product of a Japanese-German cooperation: the publishing house Powershovel Books from Tokyo invited Ute Behrend to experiment with analogue photography. The artist received various low-cost cameras - and opted for the large version of the former Chinese People's Camera "Holga". It was the beginning of a two-year project that culminated in The Last Year of Childhood.

The people observed in this book move through time and space. But there is a third movement, that of the narrative images themselves. They constantly suggest new ways of reflecting perception, touch, loneliness and companionship, intimacy and disguise. They introduce a new level into the responses to people and their environment: they reflect that our consciousness itself, whether childlike or grown-up, is little more than a rather inaccurate camera that you always have to carry around with you. Thus Ute Behrend not only illustrates a dreamy story on the loss of childhood, but also a hyper-awake essay on photography itself.