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Why do you take photographs? WW: Why do I take photographs? Our senses are extraordinary gifts that we've been given. And for me our eyesight is the most amazing one. THE ACT OF SEEING is such a complex process. We're receiving something, letting the world come into our hearts and minds, but by doing so we also give meaning to what we see, infuse it with beauty, receive it with love or hate. Seeing is both active and passive. THE ACT OF PHOTOGRAPHING makes us aware again of the magic of seeing that we otherwise take so much for granted. It recreates that wonder each time I lift the camera to my eye and release the shutter... And then: My own memory is so bad, but each of these pictures has a perfect memory. My subjects are most of all places. Cities, desert landscapes, roads... I'm attracted by things that are about to disappear or already forgotten. Or things that have been here for millions of years and will survive us all. Photographs put time into such a perspective. They humble us and our selfish memories. That's why. How do you see a photographer's role? Correspondent? Journalist? Or artist? WW: For me, none of these "professional" connotations are of any interest. If anything, I see myself as a "witness". I'd also be pleased, if you'd could call me an "interpreter". I try to hear and see the message of a place and pass it on, into that other language, the universal one of images. The Haiku's that are associated with the images in the show - how do these relate to the images? WW: They are what I would say to a good friend, if we stood together in front of these pictures. You answered a question online saying you felt documentary photography may have had a resurgence due to a growing need for reality as most of our news and entertainment moves to fantasy - could you explain this a bit more? WW: It is a sad fact, that most of the information, and most of the "news" we receive, are not aimed primarily at telling us anything truthful about the world, but at entertaining us, or better: They're marketed so that we stay on that channel, or keep reading that newspaper or keep buying that magazine. "Facts" are not so relevant any more, unless they sell well. The word "real" is a four-letter word, at least for the entertainment industry. (The most hilarious and paradox new word creation is certainly "Reality TV"). Anyway, a lot of people are sick and tired to be only addressed and treated as consumers. We have a right to be entertained, sure, but we also have a right to receive true and simple and honest documents. I see one single photograph of Sebastiao Salgado and my need for TV news is satisfied for a week. How truthful are photographs? WW: They are as truthful as the eye of the photographer behind the lens. "Truth", in most people's eyes, has become undecipherable. I disagree, as far as photographs go, because I'm sure that the intention to be truthful does show in each and every picture, just as well as the temptation or rather inclination to lie. In an article in The Sydney Morning Herald you said you felt you have a right to take pictures of places but with people you felt you might be stealing something. And yet, it was in Australia, one of your photographs of Kat Tjuta was removed from the exhibition as it did not have permission to be shown. How did you feel about that? WW: You have to see that in its context. When I walked through the Valley of the Winds more than 20 years ago, that area was not yet controlled by its traditional owners. Any tourist could waltz in there and take pictures and do whatever they wanted to do. It was unprotected. I was very impressed with the place, but had to find out all the information about it on my own, like being a sacred site for Aboriginal men. Many years later the whole area was finally handed over to the indigenous people. I was more than happy when I heard that. I thought that was one of the great cultural achievements of the late 20th century! If I had visited Kat Tjuta again, I would not have taken my camera. Well, I might not have gotten a permission to enter in the first place. But I felt that I had seen this place with respect, when I visited it at the time, and that therefore I wasn't doing any harm to it. I had seen it in books and on postcards, anyway, so my showing it in a museum, and in a much more appropriate size, I felt, was certainly doing it more justice. It was only when the image was put into a controversial context by a newspaper journalist, that the museum, and myself, were made aware of the fact that the traditional owners had imposed a ban on the representation of this valley, as of only a couple of years earlier. It had not been my intention to hurt their feelings, on the contrary, so we withdrew the picture. Do you have a particular favourite image in this exhibition? If yes, why is that your favourite? WW: MY own favorite is 'The Road to Emmaus'. My little "haiku" in the catalogue said: On the third day after Jesus was crucified, two of his disciples walked sadly to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem, when they were joined by a stranger... I found traces of the old Roman road. It was dark, when we arrived in Emmaus. You have a very comprehensive website offering information on your art, films and life in general. There is also the opportunity to ask you questions quite directly. Where many filmmakers (particularly those based in Los Angeles) may shy away from giving the public such easy access you seem drawn to use the Internet. Why is that? WW: My work is very personal to begin with. I always felt that personal stories were the only ones worth being told. Of course, there's a fine line between "personal" and "private", that I'm trying not to cross. For me, filmmaking is really not possible with formulas and recipes, but only from the heart and with your soul. The internet is a great tool to communicate, and you can do it on your own terms. My website defines these terms, not for anybody else, just for me, and for my contact with the people I want to be in touch with. What are your current favourite websites? WW: Right now, I'm in the casting process, so IMDB.com is indispensable for me. And then there are a few websites that are directly linked to the discontent that many people in America feel with the present administration, like www.moveon.org or www.michaelmoore.com that I visit frequently, among others that try to cut through the lies. What's on your CD player? WW: Right now, as I'm answering this question, it is Warren Zevon's moving CD "THE WIND" that he just finished before his death. And then there is Leonard Cohen's (heavily underrated) "Ten New Songs" and Lou Reeds "The Raven" and the latest JAYHAWKS, and Beth Gibbons and Ed Kuepper and Nick Cave and Jimmy Little and Greg Brown and and... If you could have super hero powers, what would they be? WW: To expose all the real enemies of mankind, the ones that are responsible for wars, injustice, inequality and poverty, and each terrorist willing to accept that innocent people die. Some of those terrorists are not in hiding, but to be found in high places, so one would actually need some super hero capabilities... This interview took place over email between Telecom Sponsorship Advisor Mary Parker and Wim Wenders in September 2003.
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