Bastian Thiery – Ordnungsamt

Self Published 2024

First edition of 250

96 pages, 168 × 210 mm, Soft Cover

Digital offset print by Heenemann, Berlin
Design by Tobias Textor

Reflective Title by Citysiebdruck, Berlin

We are pleased to announce the launch of „Ordnungsamt,” the second self-published photobook by the Berlin based photographer Bastian Thiery. Building upon his first book „Humpelfuchs“, Thiery further examines public spaces and the narratives that unfold within them, featuring photographs taken between 2019 and 2023.

The term „Ordnungsamt” refers to the German Public Order Office, an authority responsible for maintaining public order and compliance with local regulations. Thiery’s work draws a parallel between the role of Ordnungsamt officers, who patrol the streets to enforce order, and his own role as a photographer capturing moments that stand out from the ordinary. Both function as „flaneurs“, but one celebrates disorder and individualistic expression, while the other regulate and penalise.

Thiery explores the concept of an internal „Ordnungsamt,” reflecting on the idea that a sense of order is ingrained in the photographer’s German identity. Highlighting the unexpected and the out of the ordinary, Thiery invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of public spaces and the interactions within them. Drawing a world inhabited by extroverted characters and unconventional decorations, Thiery shows how improvisation counters the generic and mundane in the public sphere.

„Ordnungsamt“ by Bastian Thiery offers a contemplative perspective on street photography, inviting viewers to explore the balance between order and disorder in everyday life.