Aufbereitungsanlagen 2007

Bernd and Hilla Becher made these black and white photographs of industrial structures, ‘Aufbereitungsanlagen’, with an eye that seeks to unearth the hidden symbols embedded within. Look closely at the stark, repetitive structures. They evoke the Tower of Babel, a symbol of human ambition and the ensuing chaos. Like the Tower, these structures, though functional, reach for something beyond—a mastery over nature. We can see the motif of the grid, a symbol of order and control, but disrupted by the organic decay and disarray of these aging buildings. Consider the psychological weight of these images. The Bechers are not merely documenting; they are exploring the collective memory of the industrial age. The imposing geometry of these buildings mirrors the psychological landscape of human endeavor, aspiration, and the inevitable entropy that follows. These structures remind us that even the most rational creations are subject to the same cyclical processes of growth, decay, and transformation that define human existence.