Photographer Michael Anker is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘The Dark Stream · Reconstruction I – Family History Epically Revisited · 2020 – 2023’. To see Michael ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

This ongoing photo series is the first part of my photo cycle, “Reconstruction“. I have returned to the landscape of my childhood. Within the topography of the riverine and marshlands along the Oder (Germany), I search for traces of my family.

It was there—in this very landscape—that the paths of my father and my mother crossed following the end of the Second World War. My grandfather and my father established a farm there. Today, only a cousin still lives on the farmstead. The region remains sparsely populated, and life there is traditional. The sole exception is agriculture, which is now conducted on an industrial scale.

Amidst the fields, the river carves its way through the plains. It carries my family history along with it. Calm and dark, it flows—brimming with memories of itself and of the people who have dwelt upon its banks. Even at night, the sky is mirrored in its waters. Dark depths remain hidden from view.

I photographed this series exclusively using analog methods, in the 6×6 format. For me, analog photography is a spiritual experience; it lifts me out of the present moment and grants me a sense of inner peace—making it the perfect medium for slowly unfolding these stories.

The German photographic artist Michael Anker completed his studies in graphic design in 1982, earning a diploma. Since 1987, he has worked as a freelance graphic designer and photographic artist.

All images and text © Michael Anker