honorable mention
Wolf-Peter Steinheisser germany
Photo © Wolf-Peter Steinheisser
title
In the Penal Colony/Franz Kafka/Book
For this book project, which was realised in collaboration with the Stuttgart Media University, we visualized the story chronologically and tried to capture Kafka's dark tone creatively. The project was shot entirely in an old factory near Stuttgart, which was the perfect setting to fit the narrative. We changed the gender of several of Kafka's main characters, including the officer, who sacrifices himself/herself at the end. More info on the project and also some behind the scenes material can be found on this website: http://www.kafka-strafkolonie.de
After graduating from high school (1983) and studying audiovisual media (1990-95) in Stuttgart (Hochschule der Medien, diploma), I worked as a freelance photographer and film producer in Germany and abroad, produced numerous books and have been a freelance lecturer for film and photography at the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart for several years.
As a studio for photography and film production, we work for well-known national and international clients from the B2B and B2C sectors: productions for image, product, advertising, travel, portrait and lifestyle photography. Our creative centre is located in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart.
‘What type of person am I?’ Very passionate, quick and enthusiastic about a lot of things, nothing can put me off my stride. I cook a lot and love good wine, I do a lot of sport, listen to and collect music incessantly, read a lot, love travelling and enjoy my free time with my family and friends.
Credo: ‘Life is short. Make something of it.’
Ambassador for ZEISS since 2011
Member of the BFF since 2017
Member of the DHPh since 2024
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entry description
Franz Kafka wrote the novella-length story "In the Penal Colony" in 1914, and it was first published in 1919. The story of an explorer's tour of an island known for its unusual capital punishment machine, "In the Penal Colony" took just two weeks to complete, although Kafka was dissatisfied with the ending and rewrote it several times in later years. Since the story's publication in English translation in 1948, it has come to be seen, along with The Metamorphosis, as one of Kafka's most significant shorter works. There is agreement, that the story's theme is religious, and that it is a story which sets out to examine a shift in the relationship between human existence and divine law. Kafka's detached narrative style—in which character description is minimal and the author's presence unobtrusive—is one of the admired qualities of this story, and it is a strong factor in its haunting effect. "In the Penal Colony" is considered by many critics to be an allegory comparing the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, with the officer's willing sacrifice serving as an analogy to Jesus Christ's suffering and death. Others have viewed the story as prophetic of the Nazi death camps of World War II.For this book project, which was realised in collaboration with the Stuttgart Media University, we visualized the story chronologically and tried to capture Kafka's dark tone creatively. The project was shot entirely in an old factory near Stuttgart, which was the perfect setting to fit the narrative. We changed the gender of several of Kafka's main characters, including the officer, who sacrifices himself/herself at the end. More info on the project and also some behind the scenes material can be found on this website: http://www.kafka-strafkolonie.de
about the photographer
I was born in Sonneberg, in the Franconian part of Thuringia, in 1965. I've been interested in photography since I was very young, thanks in part to my father, who was an ambitious amateur photographer. I was given my first camera at the age of 10, and from then on it became my constant companion.After graduating from high school (1983) and studying audiovisual media (1990-95) in Stuttgart (Hochschule der Medien, diploma), I worked as a freelance photographer and film producer in Germany and abroad, produced numerous books and have been a freelance lecturer for film and photography at the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart for several years.
As a studio for photography and film production, we work for well-known national and international clients from the B2B and B2C sectors: productions for image, product, advertising, travel, portrait and lifestyle photography. Our creative centre is located in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart.
‘What type of person am I?’ Very passionate, quick and enthusiastic about a lot of things, nothing can put me off my stride. I cook a lot and love good wine, I do a lot of sport, listen to and collect music incessantly, read a lot, love travelling and enjoy my free time with my family and friends.
Credo: ‘Life is short. Make something of it.’
Ambassador for ZEISS since 2011
Member of the BFF since 2017
Member of the DHPh since 2024
back to gallery
