The title Holzwege was inspired by a book published by Heidegger after World War II. Off the beaten track lie those paths opened by lumberjacks to extract timber from the forest. Heidegger turned them into a symbol of the loss of one's being. Roaming dead-end paths mirrors the fate of modern Man. For a brief period, the melancholy pictures of Creil reflect the German philosopher's existential pessimism. Their sadness becomes the expression of a loss.

Holzwege raises the issue of borders. Urban culture is better understood on the outskirts of the city. For roving photographer Jürgen Nefzger, the remote paths of Creil are a destination. Every picture conveys the journey that led to its making; the shot is the final stage in a spatial search. In Creil, he found a path that leads off the beaten track – and nowhere else.

Extract from the essay “In Praise of Defect” by Christophe Catsaros (book version in French only)