secret stuff (2020-2021)

In the heart of the German state Rhineland-Palatinate the largest U.S. air base outside the United States – Ramstein AirBase – is located. Around 50,000 U.S. citizens currently live in the region around Kaiserslautern. The presence of the Americans has an enormous impact on the region. Many people are directly or indirectly financially dependent on the airbase. There is also a major impact on culture and infrastructure.

In 2013, German media first reported on the significance of the AirBase in the global drone war, which is highly controversial under international law. In 2015, documents were published proving Ramstein's essential role. The German government refuses to act, pointing to the statement of the USA: Ramstein is not involved in the drone war. How does it feel living in a region that is economically dependent on a military base and kowing that without this base the killing of civilians by drones would not be possible.

In my work, I combine images of everyday life in the village with extracts of images documenting the AirBase from the outside to visualize the tension between these two worlds.