The project 100 Hannoversche Köpfe (100 Hanoverian Heads) with the correspondent book presents various celebrities of Lower Saxony’s capital. Whether politician, bishop, writer, banker, chef or actor – they are photographically introduced by Joachim Giesel with accompanying texts by two journalists. Hanoverian Heads talk about what moves and inspires them about the city. Here, insights into their working but also private everyday life are made visible. Giesel’s photographs underscore the biographical stories of the people presented and capture a very personal moment with the interviewees. The people are presented in spaces chosen by them and in their own environment.
“As a photographer, I am a chronicler of my time, and photography is the best medium for me to introduce people to others. Because people are the ones who shape the image of a city through their actions and ideas” (Giesel, Weber-Ploemacher, Zeyen 2006. S. 207.).
For example, the writer Alexa Hennig von Lange is seen in a close-up in front of a wall of bookshelves. Her arms rest on a stack of books while she rests her head on her hand and looks into the camera with a questioning gaze. Ursula von der Leyen, then Minister of Family Affairs, was photographed in a three-quarter portrait. She sits in an elegant, historical interior and looks at the viewers with a smile. This portrait stages a self-confident politician in a stately ambience; the teacup next to her suggests an invitation to a political coffee party. The former state bishop Margot Käßmann was photographed in the magnificent central nave of the Marktkirche (Market Church). Thus, a clear reference to her office and her episcopal is directly evident. She is leaning over a pew, and with her mouth slightly open, it looks as if the photograph was taken quite spontaneously, as if she were still in conversation with the photographer and journalists present. Giesel captures a moment of close dialogue. The photographer also depicts entrepreneurs and prominent Hanoverians in the culture and music industries, such as Oliver Pocher, Mousse T. and Klaus Meine.