Between Breaths

Stella

With my photo series, I want to capture the ambivalence of an everyday, often overlooked moment: smoking.. People come together, share thoughts, let the moment pass by, part ways - just like the smoke that drifts into the air and disappears. But behind this apparent harmony lies something else, something more hidden: addiction, habit, perhaps even denial. Smoking is more than just an act - it is a moment of pause, a brief standstill in an often hectic everyday life. It is an opportunity to sit back, take a deep breath and connect with others. At the same time, I feel the contradictions: knowing of the health consequences, my own carelessness and the question of why something that is so harmful still takes up so much space in my life. When does something that connects become a burden? The cigarette is often the silent companion in both good and bad moments - late nights, long conversations, moments of being alone or socializing. There is a paradoxical beauty in the conversations that emerge from smoking together. Sometimes it is the small talk about the weather and work, sometimes it is the most honest, profound or banal conversations that take place at precisely these moments. A cigarette is a kind of excuse to stop, to listen, to take your time. But do we really need to smoke to have these moments? Smoke is fleeting, dissolves, leaves no tangible trace - and yet it changes us. The glowing tip of a cigarette fades in seconds, just like the moment it is shared. Smoking is temporary, just like us humans, we come and go. “Be You” - for many, smoking is part of their identity, an expression of their lifestyle. Some find peace in it, others a sense of belonging. But is it really an expression of self-determination? Or does this habit perhaps also harbor an insecurity that we do not want to admit to ourselves? “Be Seen” - With this series, I want to make visible what often happens in passing. The small gestures, the brief pause, the lighting of a cigarette. These moments are worth seeing because they tell so much more than the obvious. “Be Heard” - My pictures are intended to raise questions, to provoke discussion. They tell of connections between people, but also of the silent, often unnoticed dependency that builds up in the background. They invite us to think about what moves us. Essentially, this series is an attempt to capture a feeling. It is a momentary impression of something that dissolves again and again, just like the smoke itself.

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