A quick snap … “Urs was on the outside, was a stranger to Defqon.1 and it’s denizens, and yet almost immediately seemed to understand, to just get it.
It was that open minded approach, that thirst to work outside his comfort zone, that in part gave Urs his success with this project. Not everyone is capable (or willing) of deliberately placing themselves in such a wildly unfamiliar environment and still sharing their experience in an objective manner. Urs described Defqon.1 as ‘explosive’ and ‘messy’, and this carries through to his work, there’s something about his photos that make Defqon look alluring, like a post-apocalyptic carnival.
“The Necessity of Excess” was born of Urs Buhlman’s desire to work outside his comfort zone, to learn and to improvise. Suitably named and true to the beautiful chaos that is all things rave, it succeeds in such an unexpected manner.
From the photographs themselves to the way Urs described his experiences at the festival during his speech, it’s clear that “The Necessity of Excess” does not offer it’s subjects up as artistic sacrificial lambs, but rather grants it’s viewers a very unique and fascinating perspective on what could be arguably described as one of the world’s most misunderstood subcultures. Urs recognised the excess, the less than perfect nature of the festival’s punters, but still did not judge. He asked himself and those at his exhibition the very valid question “What is normal anyhow?”.
For those who want to experience Urs Buhlman’s exhibition for themselves, it will be running until the 31st of July at Sunstudios in Alexandria. Visiting hours are from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am-4pm Saturday and Sunday. To view the entire collection online, simply click here.