With almost 100 years of history, Herne Kegler e.V. is the oldest bowling club in Germany and offers people from all walks of life and age groups a unique and inclusive place to come together. In her photographic work “Chegil” (Old High German word for bowling), Chayenne Freitag, in collaboration with Laura Seitz, takes a close look at the traditional cliché that bowling is primarily a leisure activity for older people. Their multi-layered visual examination of the bowling club reflects the diversity of its members. The two photographers combine classic portraits and documentary interiors with highly abstracted details. Motion blur, photo-technical experiments and vibrant color palettes create unseen dynamics and set themselves apart from the documentary-style photographs. The combination of all these different styles and visualities suggests that bowling can be much more than a stereotypical leisure activity of an older generation.
The work was exhibited as part of the exhibition “This is not Herne” in the Heimatmuseum unser Fritz, Herne from 18.02.24 - 27.05.24.
The work was exhibited as part of the exhibition “This is not Herne” in the Heimatmuseum unser Fritz, Herne from 18.02.24 - 27.05.24.
