This book combines photography and literature in a unique project. Over a period of fifteen
years photographer Alexander von Reiswitz captured randomly selected people who happened to
be in the same place at the same time as fictional families in staged family portraits. These
encounters photographed across various countries and cultures on four continents inspired new
fictional narratives. Renowned authors were invited to create stories based on the photographs
inventing imaginary familial relationships and destinies for the portrayed individuals. At the
heart of the project is the role of coincidence which determines so much after all-not least
what we call the right moment the instant that in photography produces remarkable snapshots
and in life brings people together or causes them to just miss each other. Alexander von
Reiswitz (*1965 in Málaga) lives and works as a photographer and architect in Berlin. His
projects featuring "studio animal portraits " such as Zoogestalten and Animal Stars have been
exhibited in numerous shows worldwide.
