More than just numbers ...
Explore Landscapes #110
A mini-project from yesteryear (May 2012) saw me photographing house numbers along a single street in Blankenese, Germany.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 3 | © 2012 Jon Norris
I’d walked along Blankeneser Hauptstraße many times since moving to Hamburg a few years before. One thing that had always struck me was the house numbers. They all appeared to be different (with a few exceptions), and I don’t just been that the number of the house was different.
The numbers were created from different materials, different colors, different designs, and/or different typefaces.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 10 | © 2012 Jon Norris
A walk along the Blankeneser Hauptstraße leads to the ‘Treppenviertel’ (the ‘stairs quarter’) in Blankenese, with its winding alleys and small houses perched above the River Elbe, creating a picture-perfect location.
This tranquil little beauty spot in Hamburg’s westernmost corner stands in glaring contrast to the Hanseatic city’s bustling city centre.
Anyway, back to the numbers …
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 16 | © 2012 Jon Norris
When I took the photos I had planned to share them, but somehow, that never happened. For most of 2013 I was ‘commuting’ back and forth between Hamburg and Irvine every 2 weeks so time became a bit of a blur, and the images got ‘put on the (digital) shelf’.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 20 | © 2012 Jon Norris
It wasn’t until a few weeks ago while going through my catalog and updating keywords that I came across them, and decided it was time to ‘dust them off’.
I always enjoy going through my archives to see what images I may have missed, or been too quick to discard, when originally reviewing them.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 24 | © 2012 Jon Norris
A month has gone by since I started writing this post, and I’m now back in SoCal after circumnavigating the globe (Los Angeles - Tokyo - Taipei - Hong Kong - Frankfurt - Hamburg - London - Los Angeles). Somehow it seems appropriate that sharing these images was book-ended by a trip to Hamburg.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 40 | © 2012 Jon Norris
I can still remember quite clearly walking along the street and admiring not only the house numbers but also the other ‘street furniture’, doors, lampposts, street signs, etc.
I was a lovely sunny day and the numbers were either washed in warm directional light, or were in the shade on the other side of the road.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 44 | © 2012 Jon Norris
I enjoyed looking at the numbers and seeing how they were mounted onto, or contrasted with, the wall that supported them. Many were weathered and carried their patina with pride.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 67 | © 2012 Jon Norris
Some of the numbers were simple and purely functional—painted complete with imperfections and mismatches.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 68 | © 2012 Jon Norris
Other numbers were painted with more care and attention to detail and were in themselves works of art.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 70 | © 2012 Jon Norris
Materials used included ceramic tiles that had been delicately hand painted, to enameled steel plates, now showing signs of ageing.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 71 | © 2012 Jon Norris
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 77 | © 2012 Jon Norris
Despite the historical architecture there were some numbers that featured contemporary stainless steel designs.
Blankeneser Hauptstraße 79 | © 2012 Jon Norris
I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane. Thanks for being part of my photography community. I appreciate you!
