In photos: life under lockdown for German teens

In late January 2020, a new virus was reported in Wuhan, China. Many will be eager to forget what happened next: the lockdowns, restraints, mandatory mask-wearing, social blockades, loss of loved ones and pandemic-induced breakups. Since then, gatherings have resumed, nightlife has been restored, colds are back in vengeance and old flames may have rekindled. But for some – especially the younger generation – the mental toll of the pandemic still lingers.

Valentin Goppel, a photographer based in Hanover, Germany, was visiting his parents when the news of the first lockdown broke. Initially thrilled at the thought of an extended break from his photojournalism course at university, this joy – as Goppel recalls – “didn’t last very long”. To deal with the uncertainty, boredom and isolation, he found solace in photography and embarked on a commission from German newspaper DIE ZEIT to document what it feels like to grow up in a time of Covid. In the quiet lull between Christmas and New Year – a period of limbo known in German as ‘zwischen den Jahren’ [‘between the years’] – Goppel built on this body of work, which is now published as a book by GOST.

“Like all my fellow students, I would probably have preferred to photograph exciting subjects somewhere in exciting countries, instead of staying at home in stagnation. But the interest in my situation [via DIE ZEIT’s commision] gave me an understanding that my feelings of loneliness and boredom had a social relevance,” Goppel tells Dazed. “When I started working on the project, it quickly became clear that photographing my own situation had an almost therapeutic effect. I felt connected to my friends in their isolation. Capturing the banality of the situation made me more accepting and appreciative of it.”

Throughout Zwischen den Jahren, Goppel oscillates between observed and staged moments, providing a raw and authentic portrayal of the emotional rollercoaster experienced by the youth during this era, particularly intensified during the listless no man’s land between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. In one image, a couple are illuminated by the glow of their laptop screen as they cradle each other in the sanctuary of their bed; in another, a group of friends gather on the pavement at dusk, half-drunk beer bottles peppered on the concrete and a solemn, contemplative look on their faces. Teens are spotted hanging out in desolate, hidden corners of the metropolis – places where graffiti dominates the walls and the only light is that of a singular orange lamp post – while others sit alone at their windowsills, scrolling through the lives of strangers as they show off their sourdough loaf, new craft project, home rave set-up or their progress on Couch to 5K.

In the first few weeks, the project was a semi-legal way to meet up with his friends. “Taking photos was a way to spend time together in photographic collaboration,” he explains. “Accompanying them in everyday life meant spending the day together.” As the pandemic unfolded, Goppel increasingly sought out scenarios that mirrored his own life. Kitchens, bedrooms and the solitude of Covid-friendly outdoor spots became the stage for framing and compositions, while family settings at dining room tables started to reflect the silence and tension between generations. Lone figures – perhaps the most characteristic of this time – began to underscore the increasing sense of seclusion, and therein features heavily as a motif throughout Valentin’s Zwischen den Jahren. 

Veering away from fly-on-the-wall photography, Goppel immerses himself deep into the action, a technique that presents the photographer and subject as equal participants in a shared narrative. He encapsulates a duality – a nuanced portrayal of a youthful desire to “live it up” during the pandemic, juxtaposed with the restraint that responsibility and empathy demand. Considering a portrait in which a group of teens play “beer pong” on a kitchen table, he says: “The boy in the middle seems completely integrated into the group, he is the centre of attention, and yet he seems to be alone, escaping the scene,” he says. “I particularly like the less clear-cut motifs, where a lot of contradictory things happen.”

Aside from the unique conditions of the pandemic, the series also reveals a broader truth about the experience of adolescence. Goppel considers: “Over time, the project became more and more a way to express the general feelings of being young. I think the pandemic was one of many building blocks that define my generation, but many things are universally transferable. Isolation and ‘not knowing what to do with yourself’ are feelings that people who didn’t grow up during the Coronavirus also know from their youth. In my experience, the pandemic was more of a catalyst that brought these feelings of hopelessness to a peak.”