Faces
As the weather here currently sucks I haven’t gone out and shot anything new. So here is something from a trip to Berlin last year. This an art installation inside the haunting Jewish Museum by an Israeli artist. You can very well guess what it is for. The artist actually requests everyone to walk on these faces. But somehow it was very very tough for me to do that. It felt as if you are walking on real people. And perhaps that was the artist’s intention all along. If you ever find yourself in Berlin don’t miss this museum. Among the museums I’ve seen it alone makes brilliant use of light and space to evoke a feeling of great loss and sadness.
(There is no exif data for these images as they were taken on my Dynax 5 SLR. I also have to learn to do effective scans from my negatives. Somehow the scanned images end up looking grainy and dull).
Of all the museums in Berlin, I think this one leaves the biggest impression. I was there for a day – and initally very upset that my friend had made me promise to visit the Jewish museum which was on the opposite end of the Museum island…but once there, was I glad I didn’t miss it.
I was actually semi-paralysed once inside, feeling the horrors of the holocaust with every step I took, wanting to run out as fast as I could, but yet unable to….
I agree…it is one of the best examples where minimalism has the greatest impact. Unlike other museums it does not overwhelm or crowd your thoughts out with excess of display. On the contrary it gives you time to formulate your thoughts, feel and experience a bit of the pain and horror. I was especially moved by the Holocaust Tower and the Garden of Exile and Emigration. Architecturally, it is one of my favorite buildings.
This is quite an interesting photograph and, from what I understand, it really gives a feel of the museum’s main theme.