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Arne Piepke


Photo-Essays
︎︎︎The Shape of F. S. 
︎︎︎Based on True Events
︎︎︎Anecdotes from an unfamiliar Land
︎︎︎A Silent Bliss
︎︎︎A Year Along the Banks
︎Faith, Custom, Home


Commissions
Portraits
About




Dortmund/GER
mail@arnepiepke.de
+49 170 4848 723

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Dortmund/GER
mail@arnepiepke.de

︎

Erika Pickern (90) poses for a portrait in the relaxation room of the Dortmund-Mengede day care center. Looking back, she says: “I don‘t want to go back, because I don‘t feel old”. Raising her three children was the most important thing in her life. Even today, she looks at young people and complains that too little time is invested in their upbringing. - Dortmund, 01.06.2023 Rollator workshop at the VHS Dortmund. A police chief inspector leads the workshop. After a theoretical introduction, the participants can take part in a short exercise course. - Dortmund, 10.05.2023 A conga line during an Oktoberfest celebration at the Integra Seniorenheim in Euskirchen. Musical entertainment was provided by a Schlager duo. – Euskirchen, 20.10.2023 Reinfried (86) poses for a portrait during a driver training course for senior citizens in Essen. One of his children no longer wanted him to drive. Reinfried therefore tests whether he is still fit to drive, also to be able to drive his wife to the doctors. However, he doubts that he will be able to drive for much longer. - Essen, 09.08.2023 In the Dortmund-Mengede day care facility, a bowling tournament is organized for the visitors in one corridor. There are always sporting activities on the day care plan. - Dortmund, 01.06.2023 Irmhild (88) poses for a portrait during the Seniors‘ Info Day in Cologne. She mainly came for the potato pancakes. She has been feeling old for a year because she can‘t walk as well and is stressed by renovation work in her house. On bad days, she thinks of her favorite saying “When you think you can‘t go on, a little light comes from somewhere”. - Cologne, 11.08.2023 Klaus (75), Charlotte (75), Ilse (82), and Elmar (79) are swimming in the pool on the grounds of the Naturistenbund Frankenland e.V. in Güntersleben. The four seniors have been members of the nudist club for decades. They believe that there‘s no need to hide your body, regardless of age. – Würzburg, Güntersleben, 12.09.2023 Elke Baar is a resident of the “Tönebön am See” care facility in Hameln, which was created for people with dementia. 76 people live in the generously designed residential complex, spread over six houses. - Hameln, 06.06.2023 Five senior citizens take part in a seated yoga course led by Manuela Kohn at the Zollstock community center in Cologne. Some of the participants have been coming to the weekly course for two years because it keeps them physically and mentally fit. - Cologne, 30.08.2023 Albert Batz (81) poses for a portrait in his living room. Fraudsters had emptied his account, which is why he is now suing his bank, Deutsche Bank, to get the money back. He is single and lives in a half of a house in a colliery colony in Essen. - Essen 24.08.2023 At a 60+ party in the town hall of Cologne-Porz, a woman leads the conga line with a glowing baton. – Cologne,25.10.2023 Driver training for senior citizens in Essen. Participants can test their skills and reaction times on a practice course. - Essen, 09.08.2023 A total of 33 needy senior citizens come to a boat trip on Lake Harkort, organized by the “Seniorenglück” association. The costs for the trip, as well as coffee and cake, are covered by the association. In addition, each person receives a shopping voucher worth 50 euros. - Herdecke, 21.08.2023 Ilse (82) poses for a portrait in front of her caravan on the grounds of the Naturistenbund Frankenland e.V. in Güntersleben. She has been a member of this nudist club for 47 years. Over 20 years ago, she met Klaus while dancing and brought him along. Since then, the two have had their own spot on the grounds. – Würzburg, Güntersleben12.09.2023 Rehearsals of the senior dance theater group at the Dortmund Ballet Center. The weekly rehearsals are led by choreographer Mark Hoskins. The choreographed piece will be part of the Dortmund Theater’s season program. – Dortmund, 13.11.2023 A resident of the „Tönebön am See“ care facility in Hameln braids the mane of a horse that is brought to the facility weekly for therapeutic purposes. In 2014, the Tönebön Foundation established this care home for people with dementia. Today, it is home to 76 residents. - Hameln, 06.06.2023 Birgit Müller-Heitmann (66) poses for a portrait at the hospice in Essen. She suffers from a chronic, irreversible lung disease, which previously led to her stay in a palliative care unit. „I had already come to terms with the end of my life,“ she shares. But her condition unexpectedly improved. „Now I can laugh again. I still hope to witness my grandchild‘s first day of school.“ – Essen, 08.01.2024 A choir, directed by Bärbel Kükenshöner, performs at the Seniors‘ Info Day in Cologne-Rodenkirchen. Among the songs sung was “Froh zu sein bedarf es wenig”. - Cologne, 11.08.2023 At the Senior Food Bank in Dortmund-Hörde, seniors with low pensions can take food, hygiene products, and clothing. The organization „Seniorenglück“ is dedicated to combating poverty and loneliness among the elderly. – Dortmund, 20.07.2023 Renate (67) and Uwe (78) have been married since 2020. Uwe‘s wife had passed away and Annette lived alone after her divorce. They knew each other through a Bible study group and found each other in old age. Their shared faith gives them support. Uwe says that he felt old for the first time when an adult made room for him on the bus. Renate noticed when all the employees in her bank branch were suddenly younger than her. - Erlangen, 12.09.2023 Brigitta (80) and Dieter pose for a portrait at the care facility “Tönebön am See” in Hameln, which was created for people with dementia. Every day, Dieter visits his wife, who suffers from dementia, at the facility. “This is the only thing I have left,” he says during a walk around the grounds. The couple has been married for 55 years. – Hameln, 06.06.2023

A Silent Bliss

2023 - 2024 


In collaboration with Katharina Kemme

Aging is more than the mere passage of time—it is a deeply personal experience. It can bring challenges and hardship, yet it can also lead to ease and bliss. But when is one considered “old”? And what does it truly mean to grow old?
Younger generations often impose reductive narratives on aging, perceiving older individuals as a homogeneous group rather than as diverse and multifaceted individuals. This can lead to the marginalization of the elderly, restricting their social participation and leaving them feeling unseen.In 2023, a group of experts from the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency called for “age” to be recognized as a protected category in the Basic Law. In 2020, around one in ten requests for advice to the agency was related to age discrimination.

The photo essay A Silent Bliss challenges our perceptions of aging, offering a nuanced perspective on the individual realities of older people. It seeks to enrich our collective understanding of what it means to grow old.


Tearsheets

Chrismon plus, 2025
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