Talking Books

With Talking Books, C/O Berlin regularly invites visitors to rediscover the world of photo books. As part of the retrospective Walter Schels . 16° Fische, photographers Clara Schöttke and Antonia Teichert will be guests and will present their photo book LG 500/R (2025).

Both artists approach the subject of death in a light, humorous, yet analytical way. While Walter Schels, in his series Noch mal leben vor dem Tod (Life Before Death), portrays people in hospice care and captures their reflections together with journalist Beate Lakotta, Schöttke and Teichert focus on the bureaucracy and commercialization of death. Through performative elements, still lifes, and image and text material from advertising, the internet, and legal sources, they create a multi-layered narrative around a topic that often remains unseen.

In Germany, death is a taboo subject — silent, invisible and excluded from everyday life. Yet funeral culture is a reflection of our society: who is allowed to be remembered and how? When did we realise that death exists? Do we fear death - or dying? And why? Who can afford death at all? In Germany alone, there are over 6,000 funeral homes and the market is constantly growing - with designer coffins, commemorative jewellery in diamonds made from ashes and podcasts for the bereaved. In some regions, a simple grave costs more than a hire car for a whole year. In Germany, cemeteries are mandatory by law, which leaves little room for alternative forms of burial - in contrast to countries such as Switzerland or the Netherlands.

At the same time, there is a growing need for individualization: grave decorations are personalized, funeral services often no longer follow a religious rite. Between commerce, culture and control, new rituals are emerging - sometimes kitschy, sometimes poetic. The choice of accessories ranges from battery-operated grave lights to customized ceiling sets.

Clara Schöttke (b. 1999) is a designer who studied communication design and art in Kiel and Rennes. Since 2023, she has been studying photography in Hanover. She works as a freelancer, combining conceptual design with poetic imagery. Her focus lies on documentary and experimental narratives that brings social realities to light. Thematically, she explores belonging, migration and discrimination, as well as diverse perspectives on social positioning.

Antonia Teichert (b. 1998) is a photographer and graphic designer. She grew up in Germany and Spain and now lives and works in Hanover and Berlin. She works according to journalistic standards and produces documentary projects and reportages. Her work explores urban spaces and social dynamics where the realities of life and self-perceptions overlap. She is interested in how identities are formed within these contexts and how experiences are inscribed into collective images.