From up in the valley, farmer Franz Göttfried (1903-1980) began photographing the people of his home town, St. Lambrecht. As a chronicler on his own behalf, his interest led him mostly on foot or by motorbike to the surrounding farms, where he portrayed people on festive days, during their work and in everyday situations. The remarkable photographs, which were taken from the 1920s to the early 1940s, have survived in the attic of his home in Styria, Austria on around 500 9 x 12 cm glass negatives.

Together with FOTOHOF>ARCHIVE, Simon Baptist secured the amateur photographer’s estate and, as a photographer and filmmaker, questions the work on the archive. The illustrated book contains a comprehensive panel section with photographs by Franz Göttfried and excerpts from Simon Baptist’s video installations. The publication includes an introduction by the editor, a report by the artist and essays by Christina Natlacen and Steffen Siegel.

Simon Baptist, *1995 in Graz; lives and works between Valencia, Spain and Graz, Austria.