The Ruhr region is considered a region that has grown together. Yet not everyone grows up under the same conditions: opportunities, education, and social participation are unevenly distributed – often invisible, yet palpable in everyday life. This oft-described “north-south divide” does not represent a fixed geographical dividing line, but rather socio-spatial inequalities that influence life paths and future opportunities.
By documenting everyday situations, this work focuses on how social structures and contradictory narratives of the region shape the upbringing of young women. The female perspective offers a view beyond the familiar images of coal, steel, and male-dominated industrial labor that have historically dominated the Ruhr region.
Islinger links her observations with the memories of her mother, who herself grew up in the Ruhr region; the project thus explores the enduring nature of such differences and how they shape people’s life paths across generations.
Duisburg, Ruhr region, 2025 - ongoing
