Förderturm Zeche Waltrop, 1982/2009

For the edition Förderturm Zeche Waltrop, Bernd und Hilla Becher turned their typological lens toward the winding tower of the Waltrop coal mine. Captured from five subtly shifting viewpoints, the image series isolates and examines the architectural form with their hallmark precision and neutrality. The consistent lighting and frontal compositions emphasize structural logic over expressive effect. Unlike the Bechers’ more familiar grids of varied examples, this edition focuses on the sculptural presence of a single industrial object, observed in the round. Originally photographed in 1982 and published as an edition in 2009 – on the occasion of Edition Schellmann's 40th anniversary –, the work reflects their sustained interest in industrial vernaculars and the quiet monumentality of obsolete technologies.