The series of six was photographed between the lockdown in March and the nationwide protests in the midst of May in Frankfurt am Main/ Germany. The ongoing reportage is focusing more on social structures and human behavior and how society is dealing with the ongoing situation. Shot on 35mm Ilford HP5+ (Pushed one Stop) and Ferrania P30.

Frankfurt has always been a buzzing city embossed by opposites. Until March 2020, when the lockdown turned the city almost empty – only the contrasts remained.

A few weeks into the lockdown, one could start to see mostly elderly people wearing protective masks and rubber gloves and making an effort to keep the distance to other people. According to the news, elderly people belong to the high risk group – young people not so much. This is why most young people didn’t really care at first.

April 2020: The Covid-19 pandemic dominates the news; it became a topic in every conversation with family and friends or in the gossip in the backyards. It seems like there is nothing else important enough to be talked about anymore.

Climate Change and the disastrous refugee situation on the EU border are being pushed back in public consciousness. Despite that, public spaces all over the city are reclaimed in public disobedience (i.e. graffiti), pointing towards the still ongoing problems beside the pandemic.

It’s an economical burden for a lot of people: entrepreneurs, owners of small businesses, artists, students and generally people with a low income.  Helplessness and existential fear are on the rise in society. You can find the wish for a change in situation in the shop windows.

It’s May now,  and it seems like there is a crack right in the middle of society. Conspiracies, racism, nationalism and antisemitism are on the rise and are mixed with fake news and are spread through the streets by populists. At so called “hygiene rallies”, they try to bring their ideas to a wider public, facing the resistance of civilian and leftist groups.

The seriousness of the situation is also shown by the great number of police and their riot gear, demonstrating presence and deescalating skirmishes between the two groups. Quickly the pandemic is not only a stress test for the government and the economic and the health system, but also for society itself and how we want to shape it.

About the author:

Florian Menath was born in ’85 and studied history and political science.

He is a life artist and autodidact of photography.
He currently works and lives in Frankfurt am Main.

Work Concept:


Contrasts in the stream of consciousness: especially in urban space.

Whether socially, politically or in society.
Fleeting moments, captured on film.
Monochrome preserved for eternity.

For more of his work visit:
https://www.instagram.com/florianmenath

Do you have a story to tell, too ?

Project DOCUPAN is driven by the analog community, striving to record a history of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic through the lenses of analog photographers all over the globe. Click below and become a part of a project we don’t know yet how large it will grow.

Tell and share your story and help to record history in a project that has never been done before.

Do you have a story to tell, too ?

Project DOCUPAN is driven by the analog community, striving to record a history of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic through the lenses of analog photographers all over the globe. Click below and become a part of a project we don’t know yet how large it will grow.

Tell and share your story and help to record history in a project that has never been done before.

More from Project DOCUPAN:

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