Manfred Hamm is a German photographer
Episode 348: Manfred Hamm is a German photographer with many photobooks published under his name.
Tucson/Arizona, Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, im Volksmund “Boneyard” ausrangierte B-52 Bomber, ( aufgenommen 1979 )
I came across Hamm’s work very early on in my photographic education. I saw his book Dead Tech A Guide to the Archaeology of Tomorrow (2000). I remember picking up the book and being reminded of images I had seen a post-hardcore band called Isis use from La Jetee, a film by Chris Marker. I remember being confused, thinking that Hamm’s work and La Jetee were by the same author. I was not aware of Marker, and he had yet to create an influence on me. I remember picking up Dead Tech and being pretty blown away by it. It had all the elements of a post-industrial and apocalyptic vision. I did not buy the book when I first picked it up, or the second time I found it in Connor Donlon’s bookshop in London.
Cardiff/Wales ehem. Ship and Coal Exchange, (aufgenommen 2006)
I accidentally bought a different book of his work in a Vienna shop in 2019. It was one of his Berlin books on industrial architecture. It was cheap, and I did not pay much attention to the author, thinking the book was made by one of the multitudes of photographers who never got their due and had put out perhaps one or two books. I put it on my shelf and would go back to it from time to time. It wasn’t until a point in 2021 that I decided to have a look to see if the author had done anything else as I was making some studies of architecture and made the connection at that point and found out more about Hamm, bought Dead Tech and many other books of his. I had an appointment to be in Berlin in September 2022 and looked him up to see if he might record with me for NT. He was in Bildband Berlin with me just a few days later, signing my books and interviewing me. Please listen and seek out Manfred’s books!
Cape Canavaral, Florida, Complex 34 (Apollo) ÊAufgenommen 1979
