Katja Stuke, Könnte Sein, 2008

Katja Stuke films people on the street, mainly from behind or in the act of rushing past — absorbed in thoughts they are captured on film. the looks of the portrayed, however, reveal a peculiar moment of concentration just as if they were aware of the possibility to encounter others and to escape urban isolation. the majority of the por- trayed, whose specific looks, gestures and postures Katja Stuke carefully chose, are modern self-conscious women who simultaneously reflect a fugitive moment of pride. in her book, “Könnte sein”, Stuke arranges a selection of these real moments next to scenes from films and video games. the combination of real and fictional screen- shots blurs not only the boundaries between reality and fiction but also the distinction between photography and film. the screen-like structure of the binding takes the film-photography realtion further. the prominent bar code on the cover recalls the central theme of the 96-page book: categorisation and surveillance. the sometimes surprising, sometimes complementary arrangement of the approximately 80 colour photographs is accompanied by a collec- tion of writings by Katja Stuke herself and by a text by German film director and author Christoph Hochhäusler.