A Year Along the Banks (2021-2022)

by DOCKS Collective

Over two days, more than about twice the amount of rainfall expected for the entire month fell in parts of Western Germany. Major rivers burst their banks and sweep away entire villages, over 180 people lost their lives, a thousand others lost their homes. The days and nights from July 13 to July 15, 2021, are seen as a catastrophe of the century in Germany.
Studies will need to be done to determine whether or not these floods on this scale would have taken place without climate change. But scientists say it is safe to assume that it wouldn’t have rained so much, for so long, without the warming of the planet. Warmer air can hold more moisture and Germany’s average temperature has risen by more than 1.6°C over pre-industrial times.
The drastic effects of climate change, that seemed to be far away for people in Central Europe, now also came to Germany.
Since July 15, 2021, DOCKS has photographed as a collective in the affected regions to create a large-scale document of this historic event and its aftermath. The photographic essay "A Year Along the Banks" documents the destruction, pain and hardships of reconstruction in the flooded areas. Through long-term contact with the affected residents on site, a body of work is created that ranges from the initial catastrophe images to the first social festive gatherings that took place again.

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