Retired Aktivist at the "Asparagus Sea"

[Detlef Kuhl]

On a recent bicycle tour near Berlin we found this old Aktivist, retired these days. Till end of June, we have the Asparagus season. The second photo was taken end of April, when the season started and the fields are covered with foil.


20150419_045-Bearbeitet.jpg by d ql844, auf Flickr

20150419_055-Bearbeitet.jpg by d ql844, auf Flickr

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Images of some strength Detlef. The machinery of the past which has contributed to where we stand now and these hundreds of acres of land , where the sun reflects and can be seen for many miles, a mono culture and most often providing food without any real sustenance. Quite eerie . Excellent images.

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

I agree with julian, but wish for a little more contrast in the last image. A fine series which makes sense.

 

[Dave Green]

Love that tractor

 

[Detlef Kuhl]

Thanks all.
Yes Ivar, more contrast might have been better, thanks.

 

[Brian Moore]

That 2nd image is excellent, Detlef. It reminded me immediately of some of the images shot in the USA during The Depression by such photographers as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans working under the sponsorship of the Farm Security Administration.

 

[Detlef Kuhl]

Thanks, Brian. If you pass along the fields with a bicycle, it feels sometimes endless. The cultivation for the asparagus here started around 1870, having a first peak around 1910. It nearly stopped during WW I, recovered afterwards to decrease again in WW II. During the GDR times, there was no significant production. The production came back after the reunification, starting around 1991. Today it is again an important economical part here.

 

[Pete Askew]

A bit bigger than our Asparagus bed, Detlef! Love the old tractor. We often see the locals out driving such machines when we visit Ina's mother and there are a few around in Greywell. Never seen the Asparagus fields before and they certainly make for an interesting landscape. I like the faint shafts of light.

 

[Ray Bullen]

I've cycled past fields that felt that way too Detlef. Thank goodness it has proved possible to save them for future generations. I really like the photo, but I haven't quite worked out how to award things yet. I'll get there though I'm sure.

 

[Detlef Kuhl]

I've cycled past fields that felt that way too Detlef. Thank goodness it has proved possible to save them for future generations. I really like the photo, but I haven't quite worked out how to award things yet. I'll get there though I'm sure.

Ray,
thanks for your comment. Seeing the fields from the car, triggered my thoughts for this shot. Cycling around gives often the possibility finding a good place and having a wider range of mobility. It was a nice day.
Last weekend our asparagus season here ended.