Experiment HEIMAT is a photography and literature project organized by the Westfälisches Literaturbüro in Unna in collaboration with the photographer Peter Bialobrzeski, who served as curator. In 2021, invited authors and photographers traveled in pairs to nine sites in Westphalia associated with ideas of Heimat, among them the Hermannsdenkmal monument and the Teutoburg Forest near Detmold, the Henrichenburg ship hoist in Waltrop, the Henrichshütte smeltery in Hattingen, Ruhr University in Bochum, the Widukind town of Enger, villages around the Wilzenberg in Schmallenberg, castles in the Coesfeld district, Unna, and Dortmund. There they met local residents, club organizations, and tourists, and examined how far an outside view overlaps with Westphalians’ self-perception.
The book presents the project’s visual and literary contributions. Photographers include Bialobrzeski, Jörg Brüggemann, Aleksandra Weber, Nikita Teryoshin, Loredana Nemes, Christina Stohn, Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler, and Alem Kolbus. Writing contributors include Hatice Akyün, Helene Bukowski, Safiye Can, Nora Gomringer, Lütfiye Güzel, Sabrina Janesch, Wladimir Kaminer, Sharon Dodua Otoo, Fatma Uzun, and Najem Wali. Heiner Remmert wrote the introduction; the publisher lists him as an author, and he is distinct from the photographers. The publisher describes the result as a diverse mix of artistic interpretations that challenge the notion of Heimat.
Hartmann Books published the German-language book in 2022: 17 × 24 cm, 280 pages, 138 illustrations, softcover with flaps, including a sticker set, designed by NODE, Berlin Oslo, ISBN 978-3-96070-084-5. The publisher lists it as sold out, with last copies. Two 2022 presentations extended the project beyond the page: Kolvenburg Billerbeck, 10 April – 15 May 2022, and Zeche Zollern Industriemuseum, Dortmund, 20 May – 19 June 2022.
