Vendredi 03 Août 2012 15:13:22 par actuphoto dans Expositions

If Manfred Hamm weren't a photographer, he'd probably be working as a historian. The driving force at the centre of his work is a fascination with the past. And in this way he has killed two birds with one stone, recording traces of history as an industrial and architectural photographer for over 30 years. "I freeze time," is how he describes what he does. Manfred Hamm's projects are all long-term. He has followed some topics for decades, some for over 30 years, the most recent photographs were taken in 2007. His archive is filled with historical documents - architectural treasures, many of which no longer exist. As a rule architecture is most often shown empty and from a central perspective. Ideally buildings are shown from the outside in Spring or Autumn, when the trees have no leaves. The sky is hazy, serving as a neutral white background. Time plays an important role in his work. Waiting for perfect conditions can become a priority. Snapshots are not possible with his conventional large format camera technique - and this is exactly what lends these photographs their extraordinary appeal. The exhibition: "Die Magie des leeren Raumes" ("The Magic of the Empty Space") collects a range of images from different dates, among them some of his colour photographs, which have never been exhibited before - here they are shown as large format views. The scope of depicted spaces ranges from rooms which are sometimes only empty for a few hours, such as the Bibliothek Geneviève in Paris, to buildings which have been abandoned completely, such as the once so majestic tobacco factory "Tabacalera" in San Sebastian. The spaces photographed carry an atmosphere of magical silence. At the same time the rooms seem to tell us a lot about the people that lived there and the time they were built. Due to the manner in which Manfred Hamm captures them, even the most remote and neglected building art recapture their dignity.