Hélicoptères

1950 · 22635 — N.p.: N.p. circa 1950s-1980s. Light wear from handling throughout overall near fine in cardboard binders. Extensive photographic collection of over 1000 helicopter photographs mostly gelatin silver prints collated into six 2.5-inch thick Leitz binders and organized by manufacturer and model. Three binders are dedicated to the American company Bell Helicopters and are titled Bell Bell UH-1 and UH1D; with two focused on the “Huey†model widely used by the US Army during the Vietnam War. Two binders are titled SUD AVN ALII75-77 and SUD AVN ALII F/BGS/Bw both concentrated on the French helicopter maker Sud Aviation and their then primary model the Alouette. The fifth binder is titled Bölkow and is centered on the West German company of the same name; an additional clasp bound manila folder is laid in and contains more Bölkow images. The majority of the photographs were collected from a variety of military related sources such as press packets presentation packets tear sheets and other such official disseminations; indeed some of the images especially from Bell and Sud Aviation are stamped to verso with company name. However there are also numerous snapshots more personal in origin. The organization of the folders documents the production and variations of the helicopters often with nearly fetishistic attention to small details like markings and graphics. While civilian deployment is documented the overall tone and content is distinctly martial; the West German helicopter parks and French training exercises especially suggest the tense staging of European Cold War militarization. Although the exact purpose of this archive is unknown certain clues such as pages from a West German plastic modeling company suggest an amateur enthusiast engaged in obsessive typological collation. Throughout the high quality of the photographs are chillingly anonymous and professional. Taken as a whole a phenomenal photographic archive and accidentally curated art object. An extensive catalogue about the archive entitled From the Bunker has been published by The Everyday Press. N.p.: N.p. unknown