Alexander von Reiswitz. Catching Strangers

This book combines photography and literature in
a unique project. Over a period of fifteen years, photographer
Alexander von Reiswitz captured randomly
selected people, who happened to be in the same place
at the same time, as fictional families in staged family
portraits. These encounters, photographed across various
countries and cultures on four continents, inspired new fictional narratives. Renowned authors were invited
to create stories based on the photographs, inventing
imaginary familial relationships and destinies for the
portrayed individuals. At the heart of the project is the
role of coincidence, which determines so much, after
all—not least what we call the right moment, the instant
that in photography produces remarkable snapshots,
and in life brings people together or causes them to just
miss each other.

Alexander von Reiswitz (*1965 in Málaga) lives and works as
a photographer and architect in Berlin. His projects featuring
“studio animal portraits,” such as Zoogestalten and Animal Stars,
have been exhibited in numerous shows worldwide.