Above the rooftops of the city
From the magazine Schnappschuss No. 58
Andrej Ciesielski had normal hobbies in his youth. Until the day he discovered roofing. The pictures are spectacular, his actions go around the world. In addition to the Cheops Pyramid in Cairo, he has already climbed several towers around the world. In his photography, Andrej shares with us those moments that most of us will never experience. by Alexander R?hl
Cities inspire us. They leave an individual impression on each of us. We all love to explore them in all their complex facets, soak up their atmospheres and take on their characters.
Urban exploration goes one step further. It describes the private exploration of urban space, its buildings or so-called lost places. Photography plays a very important role here. Many categories, such as the relatively new "ruin photography", have emerged from this movement. Roofing is a special type of urban exploration. In this extreme sport, young adults climb up buildings or structures and document their usually spectacular ascent in photos or videos. The special attraction lies in the "conquest" of tall buildings in urban areas: they offer the so-called "roofer" extraordinary perspectives on the urban space and allow the infrastructure to appear from a completely new angle. The principle is simple, the thrill is great and the photos are breathtaking.
20-year-old Andrej Ciesielski from Munich is one of the best-known roofer from Germany, who not only indulges in the thrill but also wants to capture the special perspective. His aim is to capture the beauty of these snapshots and pass them on.
Andrej discovered photography in his youth. His other hobbies, such as tennis and soccer, quickly faded into the background. For him, photography meant always being able to experience new adventures - together with his friends and in constant exchange.
A milestone in his photographic future was a video of the world-famous roofer Wadim Machorow and Witali Raskalow, which he watched together with his friends. In this video, Wadim and Witali climb the 632m high Shanghai Tower in China. Completely captivated
by the spectacular shots, Andrei immediately knew that he wanted to take photos like this. And even the risk of putting himself in danger unsecured above the rooftops of the city couldn't stop him from fulfilling his dream.
The first major project was tackled in Hong Kong in 2014. Together with Alexander Remnev, who comes from the very strong Russian roofing scene, Andrej took the first hurdle and was allowed to take the first pictures and videos of a tower for a travel agency. Since then Andrej has already been to Hong Kong twelve times and has traveled to many other countries around the world. Special destinations include Egypt and Japan.
In Cairo, Andrej narrowly escaped a prison sentence and caused quite a stir when he wanted to take a very special kind of vacation photo: without further ado, he decided to climb the 140 m high Cheops Pyramid to pose for a photo. He was lucky and the authorities let him go without any consequences. He found out that things can turn out differently when he was in Japan. Office workers from a neighboring building observed the young group on a tower and informed the police. After the action on the roof, the roofer was received by the police in the lobby of the building. This was followed by a ten-day stay in a Japanese prison.
In principle, the young Munich native prepares meticulously for his projects. Andrej often observes the target buildings long before the actual "conquest" in order to determine the right time to gain access. The ascent itself can sometimes be very strenuous and sometimes takes several hours, as the paths are lined with motion detectors and cameras or blocked by locked doors. But finally being able to look out over the rooftops of the city from a windy height makes you forget all the effort. The highlight of Andrej's career so far is the ascent of the 365-metre-high Central Plaza in Hong Kong.
The extreme perspectives of the pictures allow us to take in a different point of view. Some of the photographs make us feel dizzy, or at least queasy; most people have only a distant idea of what it feels like to stand unsecured on a ladder of a radio mast at a height of 300 m and withstand the wind, but Andrej's pictures manage to convey exactly this thrill. It would certainly be easier and less risky to take the photos with the help of a drone, but the pictures would lose their unique character, which is determined by the unusual perspective, the
atemberaubenden and almost graphic geometry of the urban space and not least by the photographer present, who shares his view with the viewer and risks his life in the process.
The combination of roofing and photography is great for Andrej. He enjoys the large community in both scenes and would like to develop further, especially in photography. His dream is to combine both passions and make a living from it. A tough undertaking, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to get onto rooftops around the world due to increased safety precautions. However, due to the increasing number of high-rise buildings, Andrej also sees new opportunities for future projects. A first step that would bring him closer to his dream would be to obtain the relevant permits for his projects more frequently. This would allow him to work officially as a photographer for picture agencies and turn his great passion into a profession.
We would like to point out that Andrej's actions require a lot of experience and ask you not to imitate them. more info and more
Works by the artist:
Andrej Ciesielski
www.andrejcie.com
www.instagram.com/andrejcie
"Schnappschuss" magazine
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