Stephan Zirwes, Pools

For years, photographer Stephan Zirwes has specialised in taking aerial photographs - first by hanging out of helicopters and now also using drones - and he is sharing with us his “Pools” study of water, a fundamental resource for life on our planet.
He does it with an artistic approach that is as uncommon as it is effective - photographing the community swimming pools of his native zone, Baden-Wurttemberg, as symbols of sharing the precious resource, and freely accessible as places of leisure and wellbeing. 
He doesn't use a drone here, explaining that a helicopter gives him more time to find the right pattern and the end result is a rather uncanny aerial view, further amplified by the way he cuts away part of the image and uses the tile patterns around the pools to create a kind of mount.
Stephan Zirwes doesn't just show us very striking photos, taken using high-end technology, his photography is also an example of how to use visual art to convey extremely important issues, almost playfully. In this case, the community swimming pool - the consummate location for entertainment and getting together in Summer - contrasts with the incredible waste of drinking water used for private pools, highlighting the trend to privatise what is a public asset. 
The clean formal language, the simple designs of the photos of Zirwes focus our interest on this theme with respect and elegance. A dive into the blue is perfect in this season's heat, and it's also just what we need to flush out our ideas about what is an extremely newsworthy issue!

Christiane Bürklein (@chrisbuerklein)

Stephan Zirwes
www.stephanzirwes.com
https://vimeo.com/131552814