Turns / Umbruche (Those Years 1980-1995 / Jene Jahre)

The book sensitively documents the events of the 80's, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent upheavals in the lives of the people. It takes up various stations of recent German history and reveals situations of radical change. Jansson has a very special point of view, always focusing on the people who shape the historic events. She is always very close to the action with her camera, creating proximity and opening doors for encounters. An extensive series leads us into the life of the divided city of Berlin, East and West with their protest and resistance movements. We do not see the well-known photos of mass demonstrations, because the focus is on the feelings of everyone involved in a highly politicized time -in East and West. Jansson's view points to a sometimes absurd reality in the shadow of the cold war. Jansson dedicated another series to the opposition in the former GDR. They are subtle portraits of those people who have helped to change society and make a radical change. These series are supplemented by situations which she has captured in Eastern Europe.