Freemasonry | A Global Society With Secrets

Documentary Photographer and Filmmaker Juliane Herrmann is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the book/project ‘Man among Men’. To see Juliane’s body of work, click on any image.

Temple of ‘ARLS Piratininga 0140’ Lodge, São Paulo, Brazil, 2014.

The mystic chain, Germany, 2016. The mystic chain (or initiates chain) symbolises the close connection of the brethren.

The Chamber of Reflection at ‘Friedrich zur Vaterlandsliebe’ Lodge, Koblenz, Germany, 2016. The Chamber of Reflection can look very different depending on the location and jurisdiction. It is a dark room where candidates can reflect before their initiation into Freemasonry.

“Man among Men” searches for an alternative perspective on the discreet society of the Freemasons.

In Man among Men, Juliane Herrmann cracks opens the door onto an ancient world that is otherwise hidden from the public: the Freemasons. A closed fraternal organisation that traces its origins back to the late medieval Stonemasons, traditionally all male Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world and boasts an estimated membership of six million people. Over the course of the 21st century, it has evolved from a ‘secret society’ to a global ‘society with secrets’. The basic ideals of Freemasonry are liberty, equality, fraternity, tolerance and humanity. It is most important for a Freemason to work on himself to become a better man.

Member of ‘De Vriendschap’ Lodge, The Hague, and ‘Concord’ Lodge Rotterdam,
The Netherlands, 2013.

Members of ‘Terpsichore Lodge No. 7454’ preparing for the meeting at ‘Freemasons’ Hall’, London, England, 2015.

Herrmann spent five years documenting Freemasonry around the world, going beyond the secrecy and occultism that usually frames public perception of the group. In her work she instead turns the lens on what continues to draw people to the Freemasons, especially in today’s globalised world: the search for a sense of identity and belonging. In addition to the elaborate interiors of the Lodge buildings, Herrmann portrays members, ritualistic still lives, as well as the everyday backdrops of life in a lodge. Capturing both the enigmatic and the ordinary, she reveals a complex, humorous and sometimes contradictory image of contemporary Freemasonry.