DIN

DIN is a series of photographs of various DIN-standard parts and products, painted in RAL colors. Shot from the front, the colored industrial objects are portrayed against a neutral background.

The two German catalogs of industrial standards, DIN and RAL, named after the Deutsches Institut für Normung (Institute for Standardization) and the Reichs­ausschuss für Lieferbedingungen (Committee for Deli­very Conditions), have been standardizing machine parts, materials and colors since 1917 and 1925 re­spectively. Each standard part and color is designed for a specific purpose. The history of their creation and use is mostly unexplored. This series of photographs com­bines both standards and creates hybrids, in which his­tory materializes in form and color.

The first standard in the series is the Vichyform bottle type, which is still in use today. It was stan­dar­dized by DIN in 1942. The shape and name refer to mineral water bottles from Vichy, known since the 19th century for its bottled spring water and, at the time of National Socialism, the capital of the unoccupied part of France. Vichyform combines with reddish brown: the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Railways) painted its freight cars with this RAL color. These cars were used for thousands of deportations.