quiet humanity of the people who keep it running. The series remained unseen and unpublished for over two decades before being presented at the Photometria Festival (Ioannina, 2022) and at the Thessaloniki Photobiennale 2023. Now, Hyper Hypo publications brings Patsouras’s images to the world with the release of a richly printed, hardcover photo book whose beautifully rendered images capture all the grittiness and atmosphere of the original prints; serving as a visual document of an era that feels both recent and distant. The photos are accompanied by an essay from professor and curator of photography Hercules Papaioannou, which seeks to contextualize Patsouras’s photographic series, and his experience in general, into the infamous world of the Greek public sector.
7 AM - 3 PM
Author Michalis Patsouras
Publisher Hyper Hypo
Pages: 96
Material: Hardcover with obi band
ISBN: 9786188775329
Dimensions: 23 × 26.5 cm
The Greek public sector has long been seen as both essential and frustrating, yet it has rarely been captured on film. Michalis Patsouras’s series 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. (1993–2000) changes that, offering a behind-the-scenes look at everyday life inside the Ministry of Commerce, where, as a young man, he worked as a technician. His evocative black-and-white photos show crowded offices filled with papers, worn-out furniture, and employees caught between routine, fatigue, and small moments of joy — sharing sweets, dancing, or taking quiet breaks. Patsouras resigned in 2000 to pursue photography full-time, leaving behind the stability of civil service. His work preserves a fading world of paper files and typewriters, but also reveals something deeper: the contradictions of a system that is often resented yet relied upon, and the
Flipping through the zine of the Still Human story
This video series presents Still Human, a handmade zine, through a page-by-page walkthrough and a detailed documentation of its creation. The material covers all stages of the making process: from the selection and purchase of paper, to cutting, folding, binding, and the final packaging.
Special attention is given to the creation of a custom cutting tool and its use in crafting the three cardboard hearts placed inside the zine. These hearts are a symbolic element, referencing those given to me by the person who inspired this publication.
The choice of materials and the printing method are directly connected to the zine’s subject matter. For the cover (jacket), a soft cardboard was selected, one that captures creases and imperfections in black and white ink. These “imperfections” are intentional — highlighting the vulnerability and sensitivity of the narrative, and acting as a tribute to the human experience that the zine seeks to convey.