Logo Kerstin Maria Lehmann fine art photography Kerstin Maria Lehmann fine art photography

Backbone

Intro Image Backbone

A serious back injury hit me at the same time when Hong Kong was devastated by typhoon Manghkut.

The aim of this project is to display my own journey of injury and pain and to put this into the context of a current occurrence in Hong Kong. 
After having spent a lovely summer in 2018 with my family and lots of outdoor activities in Europa I came back to Hong Kong with an aching back. Upon our return, I was full of energy and plans for shaping the future and my personal growth. Although the back pain had deteriorated over the weeks I tried to continue with my daily routine. One day I could not deny the pain any longer and the visit to the Emergency Room was inevitable. The diagnosis of a severe prolapsed disc and sciatica was shocking for me. All of a sudden, I felt handicapped, old and vulnerable. At the same time when I suffered from severe back pain and could not find a proper position to sit, the city was hit by a mayor tropical typhoon. Typhoon Mangkhut left a swath of destruction in Hong Kong and especially in the Southern District where I live. A lot of trees were damaged, uprooted and covered the streets and pavements. The scenery was chaotic and so was my inner world. I had to find my way back to normality, ease the pain, consult doctors to seek their opinion and avoid an intimidating surgery. On the other side the city was busy to tidying up the damage caused by the typhoon. 
I would like to combine my personal experience with my own vulnerability with the vulnerability of nature and our environment and create a photographic narrative.
The tree is for me a metaphor for stability and fortitude and I do see a strong link to my injured back and the damaged trees around me. 

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