Photographer Wolfgang Strassl captures the bodies of those sitting across from him on the London Underground – whether that be people reading the paper, looking at their phones or taking up space by manspreading. He is showcasing these works for the first time in an East London exhibition. Ahead of the show I caught up with him to discuss how this project came about, why he doesn’t show his subjects’ faces and why he chose the London Underground to focus on.
How did you get into photography and how did this project come about?
I have always been interested in social systems and how they determine the characteristics and conditions of human existence and thus my own existence in this world. This is also the reason why I had chosen to study economics at Cambridge University, since the economic system – in our case the prevailing world of capitalism – can be seen as one of the most decisive factors for our existence in the 21st century.
My motivation as a photographer is determined by this interest. I am fascinated by spaces and environments to the extent that they mirror certain aspects of our human existence and our interactions within the social systems we occupy.
Photography grants me a deeper insight into these complex realities and offers me a means of understanding and connecting with this world that exceeds my own rational analysis. It allows me to express such insights in a way that I would not be able to do in words or otherwise.
In my first major photo project I explored how the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is reflected in the natural and urban environment of East Jerusalem. In another project I explored a city park in my hometown Munich to examine the extensive human presence and utilization of the park, which partly maintains and partly destroys its natural environment.
With Underground Portraits, I chose the unique social space of London Underground carriages which has always fascinated me.
Why did you focus on the London Underground above other train and underground networks?
For me London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world, and this is vividly reflected in the London Underground where people of different ages, social class, religion, colour, nationality, education and sexual orientation are sitting and standing next to each other, coexisting as equals in all their diversity and individuality.
Thus, in the most cosmopolitan city, the London Underground is the most democratic social space and Underground Portraits aims to celebrate this uniqueness. It is my first time showing these works in London, and I am excited to see how Londoners will react to them.
Why is it only bodies we see, and no faces?
Underground Portraits are a study in portraiture which focuses on what people’s appearance might tell us about them, or rather what we are able to see, recognise and understand if we allow ourselves to take a closer look.
While the human face is usually the key element of any portrait, I question what facial features actually reveal about the character of a person. I think this is an illusion and what we see in people’s faces is largely our own projection.
With Underground Portraits I want to examine what we see when we cannot rely on whatever information we gain from seeing someone’s face; where people’s appearance and body language may be determined by their conscious or unconscious decisions about how they want to appear or, in fact, whether they care about how they appear to others at all. They may not succeed in creating their intended impression on others, and it is rather their intentions that become apparent, but this can be equally revealing about who they really are. Underground Portraits attempts to delve deeper into how our inquisitive gaze directed at others is really a mirror into which we stare at ourselves.
Wolfgang Strassl: Underground Portraits will be showing at Photobook cafe from 4th-7th July, free entry. A book of the portraits will also be available at the cafe and can be ordered online.
