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David Toole
| Martin Bruch | Alice Martineau Martin Bruch
Martin Bruch literally can't stand up for falling down. A sound archivist, who lives and works in Vienna, Martin has also developed a successful career as a photographer, or more specifically, snapping the spectacular crashes he has had riding his skateboard and, eventually, his wheelchair. Martin first began to document his falls in 1996, not long after he contracted multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the nervous system and impairs sufferers' mobility to varying degrees. He was captivated by the different perspective he had from the ground and says: 'I loved it and knew I had to photograph it.'
As the years pass and the falls become more serious, the photos form a record of his advancing illness. When Martin is unable to capture the moment, he substitutes it with a 'black' photo and slots it into the chronology. The photos have been published and exhibited throughout Europe and most recently at the Sadler's Wells theatre in London, under the name 'Crash Landings' (Bruch translates as 'break' or 'crash'). Martin sees the photos not as a painful reminder of his condition, but a testament to survival. His work certainly reinforces the old adage: 'You can't keep a good man down.'
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