Zollverein Infrared III

This photographic base was shot at "Zeche Zollverein" - an industrial monument of a former cole mine and UNESCO world heritage site in Essen, Germany - with a modified Infrared Camera.

Printed on Fine Art Hahnemühle Hemp Natural Line 290 g/m2.

Each print comes signed and numbered. 

Unframed. With a small white border. Send in a tube.

Print size 90 x 75 cm - Edition of 10

Print size 60 x 50 cm - Edition of 10.

Print size 30 x 25 cm - Edition of 10.
Print size 10,5 x 14,8 cm (DIN A6) - Open Edition.

When Shadows Whisper Stories and No One Listens, Except the Sky Itself.

There are images that demand more than just to be looked at; they charge the space with a quiet, almost tangible tension—as if the universe just held its breath to watch you think. Thomas Haensgen’s photograph from the Zollverein Infrared series belongs to this category. The iconic mining tower of Zollverein here rises not just as a testament to the industrial era, but as a monument to silent contradictions.

The color palette—a strange, electric interplay of pastel green and faded magenta—feels like the world is being viewed through the sunglasses of someone who hasn’t slept for days. The sky itself, in a deep, almost toxic green, seems to mock any expectations of naturalness. And yet, it works. In this distorted reality, the shadows of the frame feel like meticulously planned brushstrokes of an artist who refuses to let something as mundane as light obey gravity.

What makes Haensgen’s work special is the way he turns space and time upside down. While the architecture hints at the rationality and functionality of modernism—a Bauhaus echo that doesn’t take itself too seriously—the color scheme breaks every expectation of logic. It’s as though René Magritte’s spirit sneaked into the lens and decided that realism was an overrated virtue.

The tiny figures in the foreground, seemingly tossed in casually, remind us of scenes from daydreams—the kind where you watch yourself trying to catch a bus, only for it to suddenly turn into a bathtub. They are both monumental and insignificant, a perfect complement to the enormity of the structure, which stretches against the sky like a rusted but proud machine that never wanted to stand still.

In the context of art history, one could see Haensgen’s work as a humorous response to the Bechers’ strict documentation. While the Bechers captured their subjects with almost superhuman precision, Haensgen allows himself the freedom of the irrational. It’s as if someone finally allowed the mining tower to show its character—and what a character it is.

Ultimately, this image is more than just a photograph: it’s a comment on our perception of reality, an invitation to look at the world through a lens that refuses to adhere to the rules. And the next time you see a shadow lingering longer than it should, you may just hear it whispering stories.