Untitled, from the "In Between Worlds" series

About the Photographer

Kirchner, Sophie

German, b. 1984

Sophie Kirchner’s work has long explored taboo social issues, giving voice to unrecognized and disadvantaged communities. Her series, In Between Worlds, continues in this vein, documenting the subculture and assumed identities of Live Action Role Players. Through her portraits, Kirchner questions our presumptions about normality—who, after all, determines what is normal? Why are the creative, leisurely activities of role players viewed with prejudice when we all, on occasion, seek an imaginative escape from the daily grind, whether through reading, cinema, or otherwise? Kirchner photographs individuals in the Live Action Role Player community who are willing, despite public censure, to create fantastic, epic, and profound moments for themselves and others. A German photographer based in Vancouver and Berlin, Kirchner studied at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, completing her degree in communication design and photography in 2012.