Wish you were here!

Horizon #01, Tropical Islands, Germany, 2007, from the seeries 'Fake Holidays'

   'Fake Holidays' is a series of images that I found to be quite interesting. The series is created by Austrian Photographer Reiner Riedler, who shot all these images on 6x7, and explode with primary colours from the artificial beaches, golf courses, as well as the doomed kingdoms of centreparcs. The colours are very similar to Martin Parr's territory, but without the up close and personal, fill in flash effect, as Riedler's photos have a sense of distance which gives a more voyeristic approach to his images, yet still having the sense of engagement between the audience and the subjects.
   This work shows the power of make believe giving the project a psycological dimension amoung these wonderlands.


  The image 'Horizon #01, Tropical Islands, Germany' 2007 reminds me of the Jim Carrey film 'The Truman Show' where the main character Truman lives in a make believe world, which he believes to be true, similar to that of a soap opera, people on the outside world watch the dramas of his life unfold via the television screen. With Truman's hometown of Seahaven is a complete set built under a giant arcological dome, populated by the show's actors and crew.

  


On Riedler's website Jens Linworksky states;
   "When wishes are out of reach, simulation is taking over our leisure time and our holidays. Imaginary worlds are created, often under massive technological exertion, in order to offer us experience as reproducible merchandise. Although the quality of these adventures on demand sometimes proves to be rather dubious, the boom does shed light on one thing: the yearnings and dreams underlying people’s daily lives."


Websites
Reiner Riedler