In Ilten, very close to Joachim Giesel’s hometown of Hanover, there are two departments of the Wahrendorff Psychiatric Hospital. Founded in 1862 by Ferdinand Wahrendorff, the hospital was intended to ensure that people with mental illness would no longer be isolated from society and discriminated against behind high walls, but would instead receive medical care and be integrated into social life.
For Matthias Wilkening, who has led the hospital from 1993 to 2023, “modern psychiatry” means recognizing “where the patient’s abilities lie, which talents can be nurtured, and not primarily looking for the patient’s deficits.” For over two decades, Giesel has accompanied patients and staff with his camera. His photographs are published in the quarterly clinic magazine “is’ ja ilten!”, whose title alludes to the uniqueness of the place by deviating from standard spelling and—with a nod to the English word “ill”—sounding like “crazy.” “Go to Ilten!” was considered an insult in Hanover at the time, used to call someone crazy.
Together with journalist Eva Holtz, Giesel developed the concept for a publication that appeared in 2003 from Wara-Psychiatrie-Verlag. At first glance, the white, square-format ring binder gives no hint of the photographic project. But when you open it, 74 black-and-white portraits of patients and staff unfold, without them being identified as such or distinguished in the way they are depicted. All individuals depicted in half- or full-page spreads are introduced by name and age. Below each photograph is a personal comment and the respective signature. If one looks at illustrated press reports about people with mental illness from the time the series was created, these often reflect stereotypical notions and ignorance that fuel fears and prejudices. Giesel, on the other hand, photographs his subjects in their personal environments, capturing them engaged in their favorite activities and hobbies, and reveals their emotions—ranging from joy to sadness to anger. His portraits do not seek to document the subjects’ supposed deviation from social norms or their illness; rather, they serve as a means of (self-)representation for those photographed.
Lucia Simmt describes herself as “Germany’s Queen,” Michael S. is a proud Hannover 96 fan, while Joachim Rummler introduces himself as an artist. Giesel shares her thoughts and feelings with us and warns in his concluding essay: “In our society, where everyone is defined primarily by their position within the economic structure, all those on the outside are at a disadvantage. […] With this illustrated book, through the confrontation between the subjects and the viewers, I hope to help transform prejudices into insights.”
FARINA KOLBE
| Portrait of Lucia Simmt (from the series Verrückt nach Ilten (Crazy About Ilten)), Ilten, 2001.
(C-print, vintage print)
| Portrait of Joachim Rummler (from the series Verrückt nach Ilten (Crazy About Ilten)), Ilten, 2001/02.
(Silver gelatin baryta paper, 2024)
| Portrait of Dr. Wolfgang Becker (from the series Verrückt nach Ilten (Crazy About Ilten)), Ilten, 1998.
(C-print, vintage print)
| Portrait of Jaklin Pahlavi (from the series Verrückt nach Ilten (Crazy About Ilten)), Ilten, 2001.
(Silver gelatin baryta paper, 2024)