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Nocturne
Nocturne
Alwin Maigler
February 25, 2025
While Alwin Maigler applied a minimalistic type of visual language to his Nuances series, for Nocturne, he drew on the full extent of his creativity with the camera. Using elements like those found in a fashion spread, Maigler accompanied dancers of the Stuttgart Ballet to local, green space, rather than returning to the studio. The outcome is another homage to the art of dance full of dynamism, which he combines with a message. Maigler spoke with us about his approach and his thoughts behind the project.
LFI: How would you outline your Nocturne series compared to Nuances? Both series were published as a photo book in the autumn of 2024.
Alwin Maigler: Nocturne is much more about my way of taking pictures. While I photographed Nuances in a studio, Nocturne was shot completely outdoors in Stuttgart parks – at night what’s more. I use the flash aggressively and tell stories with the pictures; they reveal my way of staging. In Nocturne, I give chance and improvisation a lot of space.
Where was Nocturne taken?
The pictures were taken in urban spaces, in the middle of the city, though it remains invisible. The series was produced during high summer when temperatures were still very high. Stuttgart is known for these very warm nights.
How did you motivate the dancers to perform the movements or were they “self-propelled”?
The movements and figures came from within the dancers themselves. They began to break through the rules and improvise. At one point it even began to rain. The drops of water produced beautiful effects. The blackness of night served as the ideal background to emphasise the strong contrasts.
Does Nocturne have a further message beyond being a homage to dance movement?
On an overarching level, Nocturne deals with climate change and the dark times we are facing as a consequence. There is something rebellious about the series; it’s about banging on the table. In the end, however, Nocturne represents, above all, a “utopia in which beauty wins”, as Simone Klein, who wrote a foreword for the book, expressed.
Carla Susanne ErdmannLFI: How would you outline your Nocturne series compared to Nuances? Both series were published as a photo book in the autumn of 2024.
Alwin Maigler: Nocturne is much more about my way of taking pictures. While I photographed Nuances in a studio, Nocturne was shot completely outdoors in Stuttgart parks – at night what’s more. I use the flash aggressively and tell stories with the pictures; they reveal my way of staging. In Nocturne, I give chance and improvisation a lot of space.
Where was Nocturne taken?
The pictures were taken in urban spaces, in the middle of the city, though it remains invisible. The series was produced during high summer when temperatures were still very high. Stuttgart is known for these very warm nights.
How did you motivate the dancers to perform the movements or were they “self-propelled”?
The movements and figures came from within the dancers themselves. They began to break through the rules and improvise. At one point it even began to rain. The drops of water produced beautiful effects. The blackness of night served as the ideal background to emphasise the strong contrasts.
Does Nocturne have a further message beyond being a homage to dance movement?
On an overarching level, Nocturne deals with climate change and the dark times we are facing as a consequence. There is something rebellious about the series; it’s about banging on the table. In the end, however, Nocturne represents, above all, a “utopia in which beauty wins”, as Simone Klein, who wrote a foreword for the book, expressed.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Alwin Maigler
EQUIPMENT: Leica M11, Leica SL2, Apo-Summicron-M 35 f/2 Asph, Apo-Summicron-M 90 f/2 Asph
Alwin Maigler+-
Born in 1996, Maigler is self-taught and works in portraiture, fashion and art. In 2021 he became the youngest professional in the history of the BFF (Professional Association of Freelance Photographers). He was appointed to the German Society for Photography in 2023 and is about to graduate in Communications Design from the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. His work is exhibited and purchased internationally. More
