Exhibition “Nomads of Our Time” opens in Wildeshausen

The new Prehistoric Centre in Wildeshausen, Lower Saxony, is a place where the long-standing relationship between humans, landscape, and animal husbandry can be experienced. It was here, on March 4, 2026, that the touring exhibition "Nomads of Our Time," presented by the Schleswig-Holstein Savings Bank Foundation and focusing on four nomadic sheep farms, was opened – the first special exhibition in the modernized complex on the Hunte River.

Traveling sheep farming exhibition in Wildeshausen: Contribution to the opening

I was invited to witness the creation of the Photo report and Exhibition concept From my perspective as the author, I explained this at the opening. A central theme of my speech was the historical depth of the topic:

Anyone who studies prehistory encounters an anthropological constant: humans have always been in motion, always in relationship to the landscape, always dependent on animals and natural resources.
And in the middle of this long history stands a craft that has survived to this day — and at the same time is threatened with extinction: transhumance (sheep herding).

From the opening speech in Wildeshausen, March 4, 2026

An encounter as a key moment

The starting point of the project “Nomads of Our Time” was a chance encounter with the shepherd John Kimmel at the Danewerk – an event that never left me.
This encounter led to intensive research into the history and present of one of humanity's oldest professions.

The ecological importance of transhumance (nomadic sheep farming)

The deeper I delved into it, the clearer the ecological importance of this craft became to me.

Without grazing by sheep and goats, raised bogs and heaths would quickly become overgrown with shrubs. Bogs are particularly crucial in the context of climate change: they cover only three percent of the world's land area, but store twice as much CO₂ as all forests combined. Protecting them is worthwhile—and destroying them would be disastrous.
I was certain: This topic deserves photographic documentation.

From the opening speech in Wildeshausen, March 4, 2026

Four companies, one order

In the summer of 2022, I finally received a commission from the Schleswig-Holstein Savings Bank Foundation to portray four of the then five nomadic sheep farms in the state.

The aim was to raise awareness of the importance of this craft — especially in view of its ecological function.
Thanks to the support of the European Union, the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the savings bank family and other sponsors, the results could be documented in a picture book and in this exhibition, which can now be seen for the first time outside of Schleswig-Holstein.

From the opening speech in Wildeshausen, March 4, 2026

A dialogue with prehistory in Wildeshausen

In the newly designed Prehistoric Center, the theme gains a special depth of focus. The photographs enter into a dialogue with a place that itself tells of the millennia-old relationship between humans, animals, and landscape.

The exhibition invites visitors to see an old craft with new eyes – and to appreciate its importance for our cultural landscapes.

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Exhibition information