Chimneys of the briquette factory Lauchhammer, 1990 © Manfred Wilhelms
Gigantic steel pipes Leuna, 1991 © Manfred Wilhelms
"Rusty Pictures"
Open-Cast Mining and Industrial Architecture in Eastern Germany
Special exhibition in the gallery of our section "History of Photo Technology"
From 7 July to 31 October 2010
"Witch" furnace in former Chemiekombinat Leuna, 1991 © Manfred Wilhelms
These 44 photographs by Manfred Wilhelms were taken shortly after reunification, in 1990–91, at the same time as his film footage of historic industrial sites in the former East Germany. The resulting film, "Rusty Pictures", premiered at the 1992 Berlinale film festival.
Dinosaurs of the Industrial Age
In the former East Germany cameraman, photographer and director Wilhelms and the artist Fritz Kreidt found an abundance of historic and often ruined industrial plants that exceeded their wildest expectations. Especially in the open-cast lignite mines around Leipzig they found "dinosaur cemeteries" with rusty old excavators and machinery and run-down factories reflecting industrial history since the very beginning of the twentieth century.
A breath-taking backdrop against which to start a search for artistic motifs in a singular landscape full of fantastic discoveries.
Rusty shovel excavator © Manfred Wilhelms
Wilhelms: "Images of a lost reality never to be repeated, as the visible work of the past is steadily transformed into invisible digital processes. In the hour when the ‘dinosaurs of the industrial age’ lie down to die, a painter and a filmmaker/photographer appear on the scene to document their last stand before extinction."
The photographs were taken on a Mamiya medium format camera using 4.5 x 6 cm colour negative roll film.
Vita
Manfred Wilhelms studied painting, graphic art and photography in Bielefeld and scriptwriting, directing and camerawork in Berlin. He works as an author, director, cameraman and producer, and makes his own films and documentaries as well as pursuing photographic and art projects.
Films include:
- "Rusty Pictures" (1990-92, premiere at the 1992 Berlinale)
- "Berlin – A Cycle in Seven Films" (1995-2001;
- "Berlin - Pictures of a City (1995-98, premiere at the 2001 Berlinale)
- "The Flaneur of Berlin" (with photographer Henry Ries, premiere 2005 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Rusty Pictures received the Grand Premier Prix (Paris, 1992) and the Prix du meilleur essai (Montreal, 1993).
Exhibitions include:
- "Visible Past", at Kraftwerk Plessa, 2006.
Header photo: Rust composition in Leuna, 1991 © Manfred Wilhelms