My bed is basically nothing special. Model Malm from Ikea. The mattress measures two meters by one point four, and of course I also have a blanket and pillow. I have been sleeping in this bed for four years now. Every day, between four and ten hours. I still enjoy it. I can't imagine life without this fabulous rectangular piece of furniture. Not only because it's soft, warm and cozy, no, it often serves as my workspace. I eat, drink, read, relax and dream in it. So the designation "hero of everyday life" applies to my bed without any doubt.

Like most people, my bed is in the bedroom - probably the most screened room in any home. The bedroom is definitely private, intimate even. Nothing can happen to you here. No one is watching (whatsoever), bursting in or already sitting in there waiting. Pajamas on, off to bed, lights off and quiet. This place is the ultimate nest. We don't let strangers in without a reason, and if we do, the bed is made, the room is tidied and vacuumed beforehand.

Over the past three months I have entered the bedrooms of a total of twenty people and photographed their beds. Among them are friends, acquaintances and family members, but also strangers whom I approached on the street or contacted by e-mail. The initial reaction was mostly surprise and suspicion. Nevertheless, I was able to convince most of them to participate in my project.

The feeling of photographing in someone else's bedroom is very, well, delicate. You're an intruder, documenting someone's private retreat, exposing them in a way. But it was precisely this feeling that appealed to me. How do my fellow human beings sleep? How big are their beds? Are they clean and meticulous or cozy and messy? Do the others sleep alone, in twos, threes, or even fours? Could I describe the guy in front of me at the cash register by his bed? These are questions that I would like to ask and answer with this book.

supervising: Prof. Karin Kaiser Semester 2. BKD