Are LARPers the Most Enlightened Folks Among Us?
Creating the lives they want to lead, fantasy role players are self-fulfilled not self-deluded
Ever since she was a young child, German photographer Sophie Kirchner was always asking questions. As a student she figured out that photography was an effective means of access to people’s lives and stories. Kirchner people studies, day-in-the-life series, and portraits of women in traditionally male sports are full of respect and fine craft.
Kirchner is still asking questions. Now, however, it is we — the viewers of her photographs — who must answer those questions as much as it is the subjects before her lens. For In Between Worlds, Kirchner takes Live Action Role Players (LARPers) out of the action and freeze-frames the medievalist(ish) alter-egos in domestic interiors.
Inspired by her inquisitiveness, we fired Kirchner a few questions of our own. Scroll on for our Q&A.
Q & A
Taylor Glascock (TG): It seems you’re attracted to fantasy?
Sophie Kirchner (SK): I’ve always been a dreamer. At the age of 15, I started playing “pen & paper” fantasy role-playing games, specifically the game The Dark Eye.
You can compare it to acting, just without the audience and the script. The game happens in your imagination while you´re sitting on a table with a bunch of dice, pencils, and your character sheet.
I am still playing it with good friends who I’ve known since I was 15.
TG: What compelled you to photograph Larping?
SK: Long before the movie Lord of the Rings became famous, my boyfriend of the time introduced me to LARP. I was 18. Unfortunately, I did not get into the game as much as I got into Pen & Paper. After one year I decided to no longer LARP. It demanded too much imagination for me trying to believe that it was real.
Also, I met too many people who put more meaning into the game than in their real life. That scared me.
TG: How did you meet your subjects? What did you learn about them through photographing them?
SK: I went to several LARP events including the ConQuest of Mythodea which is one of the biggest LARP events of the world. And to a local “Taverna” based in Hamburg where I was living at that time.
“I met too many people who put more meaning into the game than in their real life. That scared me.”
LARP has changed since I played it years ago. Now you meet people from every social background. I met extremely creative people who put such a high amount of passion and energy into their hobby. It was both fascinating and inspiring. I’ve learned that people have the choice to create and live their life any way they want.
You have the tools in your hands to create your life.
TG: Favorite characters?
SK: Nico’s incitation as his character Ludalf Blauzahn fascinated me a lot. He said that he likes to play with misanthropical attitudes like sexism, authoritarianism and prejudices and to provoke LARPers.
“People have the choice to create and live their life any way they want.”
It was especially to witness when people realized that Nico — the person behind his character — doesn’t carry those antisocial opinions.
What do you hope other people take away from it?
There are many prejudices about LARP. I want audiences to question their opinions about LARP. Question all their assumptions.
Who knows, In Between Worlds work might even inspire people to give LARP a try?!
