A peek behind closed doors

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Lukas (23), from Kerns in canton Obwalden Joëlle Lehmann

Lukas (23), from Kerns in canton Obwalden Joëlle Lehmann

Lukas (23), from Kerns in canton Obwalden Joëlle Lehmann

Martin and Madeleine (both 36), with baby Uma in Zurich joëlle Lehmann

Martin and Madeleine (both 36), with Uma in Zurich Joëlle Lehmann

Lynn (16) and Leslie (14), at their parents' house, Worben in canton Bern Joëlle Lehmann

Lynn (16) and Leslie (14), at their parents' house, Worben in canton Bern Joëlle Lehmann

Corinne (35) with Shania, Wetzikon in canton Zurich Joëlle Lehmann

Melanie (30), Biel Joëlle Lehmann

Melanie (30), Biel Joëlle Lehmann

Alice (21) and Marc (25), in Riedikon, canton Zurich Joëlle Lehmann

Alice (21) and Marc (25), in Riedikon, canton Zurich Joëlle Lehmann

Issam, Georgy and Yves (all 33), living in a flatshare in Lausanne Joëlle Lehmann

Issam, Georgy and Yves (all 33), living in a flatshare in Lausanne Joëlle Lehmann

Issam, Georgy and Yves (all 33), living in a flatshare in Lausanne Joëlle Lehmann

Patrick (33), in the city of Bern Joëlle Lehmann

Patrick (33), in the city of Bern Joëlle Lehmann

Patrick (33), in the city of Bern Joelle Lehnmann

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How do the young Swiss live? Swiss Photographer Joëlle Lehmann spent six months documenting the lives of 15- to 36-year-olds. She infiltrated flats and households, observed and then photographed what she found there.

The young artist discovered her subjects in cities, suburbs and in the countryside. Her camera took her to numerous Swiss cities, from Zurich to Lausanne and Bern, to the bathrooms and kitchens, corridors, bedrooms and gardens of strangers.

What came into existence is a collection of, for the most part, ordinary pictures, unspectacular images that nevertheless reflect the feelings and lives of a young Swiss generation.

From a small child eating dinner with his mother, to a teenager painting her fingernails on her bed, a tattooed 33-year-old, a young woman on the sofa with a dog, empty glasses, full plates, family photos on the wall, plants, cats and much more – unremarkable objects and scenes that wouldn’t normally warrant a comment, let alone a photo.

The project was supported by “20 Minuten Friday” and exhibited at the Winterthur Museum of Photography. 

(Photos: Joëlle Lehmann, Text: Gaby Ochsenbein/swissinfo.ch)