The Rocket’s Red Glare, Barbara Diener

How do we rewrite history? This photobook raises critical questions about truth, memory, and propaganda.

Content and Themes

This impressive photobook (256 pages, hardcover) combines historical documents, archival images, contemporary photography, and texts by Wernher von Braun. It explores how the life of the German rocket engineer—from V2 rockets in Nazi Germany to the Saturn V for NASA—symbolizes the selective way history is told. Barbara Diener deliberately leaves gaps in the narrative to show how facts are reshaped over generations.
Genre: Photobook, documentary art
Themes: Historiography, World War II, space exploration, ethics, propaganda

Historical Context

Published in 2023, at a time when the role of science and ethics was under renewed scrutiny, the book focuses on Wernher von Braun—a figure with a controversial past. Diener draws parallels between technological progress and moral responsibility, connecting to current debates about how we handle contested heritage and hero worship.

Special Features

• 48 pages printed on transparent paper for layered visual interpretation
• Design by Hans Gremmen, known for conceptual photobooks
• Includes texts by Wernher von Braun, adding a unique historical dimension

About the Author(s):

Barbara Diener (born 1982, Germany) is a lens-based artist educated at California College of the Arts (BFA) and Columbia College Chicago (MFA). Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago) and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Key works:

• Phantom Power (2018)
• The Rocket’s Red Glare (2023)
  Awards: Albert P. Weisman Award (2012, 2013), Flash Forward Award (2013), multiple grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Media Reception

The book was featured at international photo festivals such as Unseen Amsterdam and received attention in art media for its critical approach to historical narratives and innovative design.

This book is in stock at our warehouse in the Netherlands and available for fast delivery (no customs fees for orders within the Netherlands and the EU).

Product Information

Title: The Rocket’s Red Glare
Author(s): Barbara Diener​
Co-author(s): Texts by Wernher von Braun
Cover Design: Hans Gremmen
Publisher: Fw:Books
ISBN: 9789083285887
Language: English
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Illustrations: Yes
Edition: 2023, first edition
Dimensions: 28.6 x 22.0 x 2.7 cm
Weight: 
Condition: Like new
EAN: 9789083285887
Special Features: 48 transparent pages, design by Hans Gremmen
Categories: Photography, History, World War II, Space Exploration

Price without shipping costs

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