Bernd & Hilla Becher are the August Sanders of industrial landscape photography. Sander’s monumental People of the 20 Century (7 volumes, Harry N Abrams Inc, 2002) is a taxonomic portrait fest. Sander attempted to categorise ‘society’ by dividing it into groups and photographing them – and while doing so just happened to redefine portrait photography in the process.
The Bechers have a similarly ambitious project categorising industrial structures over the last 40 years and their most familiar works include water towers, blast furnaces, mines and gasometers. In these they have concentrated on the form of the structure. Industrial Landscapes (MIT, 2002) is a departure because it puts these forms into the context of their environment. For instance including the surrounding workers housing with the mining headgear in a Welsh mining village.
[SinglePic not found]Bernd & Hilla Becher Industrial Landscapes
This book contains a photographic record of the industrial landscape in the UK, Europe and the USA. I can only dream of a project on this scale, and one which is so beautifully executed. The photos have increasing cultural relevance too because they reflect the post war manufacturing boom and bust. Many of the structures no longer exist.
Highly recommended if this kind of thing floats well in your think tank.
Of course, now I’m lusting after a view camera with movements even more. So…. if anybody has an old Deerdorf 8×10 they want to fling my way, feel free. I’m pretty fed up with converging verticals for this kind of work.
by skinnyvoice
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