Featured Artist

Lotte Reimann

For the ‘Go your own way’ issue we invited German/Dutch photographer Lotte Reimann  (1982) to be our featured artist. Reimann is intrigued by the unexpected. Her newest project Bis Morgen im Nassen is a documentary narration is about Christian, someone who indeed simply goes his own way.  Christian has been a passionate ‘wetlook’ fan for years, in that he likes to go swimming with his clothes on. Him and his friends get together for their exclusive wetlook parties, which Reimann was invited to attend. She approached her subject with curiosity and respect. Her series, with its raw footage combined with written diary entries, gives us a beautiful and personal look into an unusual world.

Images and diary entry by Lotte Reimann

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Amsterdam, May 5th 2012

About a year ago, for the first time, I put my pants on for swimming instead of taking them off. It was early in the year and still quite cold. But I didn’t care. I was so fired up that I managed to persuade a friend to join me for a jump in the lake.

‘Briefly. I promise!’

‘Whoa, Lotte. Are you crazy?’

I just had to give it a try, what it feels like; why he does it. Now. Immediately. Under any circumstances.

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I had discovered these images. Spent hours clicking through this strange archive and fell in love, mercilessly. With this tick, this passion, with an absolute devotion. So we packed our bathing things and headed to the lake.

A cold stream of air blew through the gapped window into my face. I was determined, I wanted to plunge into this damp dark, wanted to feel it pressing against my body. Wanted to know how it is. This that I only saw until now.

‘Ok. Are you coming?’ I asked, even though it was freezing.

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She nodded.

‘Well, yeah. Actually. Why not.’

We laughed, pushed the car doors open and ran to the shore.

Halt. Hesitation.

Frosty, the wind blew across the shimmering disk, drew small circles here and there on the icy mirror, and snuck in pinching through the fibers of my sweater and right into my skin. I was shaking.

‘To you, Christian!’ I shouted, lunged forward, dashed into the floods and let the water pierce through my clothes, engulfing my body.

Excited and insane.

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