Places where people consume drugs in public are described by parts of mainstream society as so-called spaces of fear that create a feeling of insecurity and discomfort. At the same time, these open drug scenes form a risk environment for the users themselves, as they are associated with a variety of drug-related harms - physical, psychological and social. How the public space presents itself as a risk environment from the perspective of drug users is still largely unclear. This exhibition is dedicated to this question.

The exhibition "(Surviving) Life in a Risky Environment" provides insights into the living situation of people in the open drug scene at Cologne's Neumarkt on twelve thematically organised exhibition panels. The images on display were created as part of a research project led by Prof Dr Daniel Deimel (Nuremberg) and Dr Tim Lukas (Wuppertal): Seven drug users independently selected certain places from their everyday lives and photographed them. The photos are supplemented by quotes from the interviews conducted with the participants and the impressions of several social space inspections, which made it possible to map the open drug scene on Neumarkt.

A brochure is available to accompany the exhibition, which can be downloaded from the website of the Department of Civil Protection, Disaster Relief and Property Security (pdf download).