Photography by Kristian Schuller.
Dear friends of SLEEK,
Sometimes all it takes is a single moment. A gesture. A glance. A step. And suddenly you’re no longer just watching – you become part of it. Of another reality, a state of deep focus, a story that isn’t just being told but lived.
This issue is devoted to immersion – the act of diving in. Not as a form of escapism, but as a conscious step into depth. Into a role, a thought, a space, or a project. Immersion means surrendering, being present, risking yourself – and in doing so, resonating with something greater.
Nicki Lange knows this well. After running 100 kilome- tres through the Atacama Desert, when reality begins to blur and pain transforms
into clarity. His body runs – his mind ascends. For him, immersion is not a meta- phorical state, but daily practice. And yes: also a kind of creed.
Speaking of faith: in Lithuania, far from St. Peter’s Square, Archbishop Georg Gänswein sits in his new office as nuncio. He speaks to us about ritual, about Benedict XVI., about truth in times of upheaval. For him, immersion means giving oneself completely to a task. Even – and perhaps especially – when the world around you shifts.
Svenja Jung, by contrast, dives into characters who lose themselves – in lust, in doubt, in relationships, sometimes even in danger. In Fall for Me and naked, she plays women who take what they want. What looks like effortlessness in her acting is in fact radical dedication – and the courage to resurface after every role. Or to surrender completely.
And then there is Jorinde Voigt, whose art is not only seen but felt. Her drawings, notations, and installations carry us to the edge of the sayable – and beyond. Those who open themselves to her work lose themselves in rhythm, structure, and silence. Immersion as perception.
What links all these stories is more than a theme. It is an attitude. Immersion means refusing the mere surface level. It means allowing closeness, embracing contradiction, being fully present in the moment. In a world defined by noise, speed, and distraction, this issue celebrates the opposite: Mindfulness. Dedication. Depth.
So: take a deep breath. Turn the page. And dive in with us.
Yours, Christian Bracht