AUGENBLICK is a photography project that documented the changes in the lives of Berlin women during the pandemic across different neighborhoods, family statuses, and age groups.

The inspiration for AUGENBLICK BERLIN came to Julie Schoen when she started thinking about the changes that we, as women, made to our lives during the pandemic. The way we worked, socialized, and adopted new roles within the family was completely different than before. Some of us were empowered to take new paths, some developed ways of just staying above water, and some were in limbo. Julie partnered with Kat Tichy, a songwriter and producer, and AUGENBLICK BERLIN was born. The photography project documents these changes in the lives of 36 Berlin women across different neighborhoods, family statuses, and age groups.

We asked these women three questions: What changed for you during the lockdown? How did you adapt? What makes you hopeful for the future? The AUGENBLICK BERLIN book captures a moment in the life of each of these inspiring women.

Even though domestic abuse numbers rose at a faster rate during the pandemic, women's shelters around Berlin experienced a decrease in resources and struggled to keep up with the demand for refuge. All of the 36 women featured in the AUGENBLICK BERLIN book donated their time and told their inspiring stories so that the project could support Hestia e.V., a Berlin Frauenhaus (shelter for domestic abuse victims). Profits from the first-edition book sales went toward helping Hestia build a new children’s area in the shelter.

A second edition of AUGENBLICK BERLIN has now been properly published by Trentinaglia Publishers. Purchase options can be found here.