In the eerie quiet of a misty Hamburg night, the Brandshof petrol station sits quietly, doing its best to set the cinematic scene. Captured by photographer Alexander Schoenberg, the famous 1950s petrol station is a charismatic prop, playing the part of Cold War meeting point or noir backdrop providing cover to the nefarious deeds of those who do business in the murky mist when others soundly sleep. The appealing part of Schonberg’s images of the petrol station, shot from multiple angles on one night (26 September 2019), is the mystery that each picture maintains, whether it’s the view of the working garage at the rear or the simple café at the fore, the imagination has license to run wild as the images pose questions without answers.
Located close to Hamburg harbour, the petrol station is a famous architectural figure in the city. Whether Schoenberg happened on the petrol station with the classic car parked outside or perhaps staked it out until the perfect automobile arrived, we don’t know… but that’s the beauty.
See more of his work here.
Images © Alexander Schoenberg