International Center of Photography (visit 3/1/08)
What I liked most about the ICP was the innovative manner in which the artists displayed their works and the concepts behind the display. On the first floor was an exhibit of Barbara Blooms work. The concepts of her individual displays were fascinating to me, probably because I would not have thought to display my work in such interesting ways with all the many layers in the meanings. My favorite was the one entitled “Songs” which was a presentation of sheet music on plane metal music stands that displayed small pictures, not notes, on the pages. The originality of all her displays impressed me and will be something I tuck away in my mind for future reference.
Hans-Peter Feldmann,
Born: Dusseldorf, Germany 1941
9/12 Front Page 2001
100 Newspapers
Dimensions Variable
The most powerful image(s) for me was an Installation: 9/12 Front Page 2001. Again, it was the thought process and concept behind the installation that intrigued me not just the specific image represented throughout. I read the artist statement first before I began to look at the walls of the installation. I started to choke up before I had even finished looking at the images on the first wall; I had two more walls to go. It was almost paralyzing to read over and over what the headlines were around the world. Some of the most powerful headlines were: USA today “US under attack"; Republic of Ireland "Horror in U.S. Leaves the World in Shock"; The Independent "Doomsday America"; The Wall Street Journal "Terror Assaults Stun U.S.".
The images on display were almost a repetitive pattern of the Twin Towers on fire in large color format. One of the few newspapers to choose to go with two smaller pictures was The Wall Street Journal. They chose one small picture of the twin towers on fire and another small picture of people fleeing the area in terror both images were in black and white. The walls of the installation room were painted black with the images in simple frames and displayed in three rows all the way around the room. By the time I reached the middle of the second wall I started to feel the sorrow I had that day. I recalled where I was and who I was with, how we stared glued to the images on the television and cried. I sat down for a while on the bench in the middle of the room; I composed myself by writing a few notes. I then continued and viewed the images staring at me on the third and final wall. I'm not sure what was more powerful the images, the words or the two combined; I believe it was in the combination.
How we see and remember events of the past are embedded as images in our brains, the images picked by the media. How the events of history are documented is how it is forever viewed. This installation had a very powerful effect on me and brought back the memories of that day. The installation had a very somber feel like a funeral and in the sense it was, a funeral of the past that resonated and defined the future.
It never would have occurred to me to use the front pages of newspapers as an instillation.
What I liked most about the ICP was the innovative manner in which the artists displayed their works and the concepts behind the display. On the first floor was an exhibit of Barbara Blooms work. The concepts of her individual displays were fascinating to me, probably because I would not have thought to display my work in such interesting ways with all the many layers in the meanings. My favorite was the one entitled “Songs” which was a presentation of sheet music on plane metal music stands that displayed small pictures, not notes, on the pages. The originality of all her displays impressed me and will be something I tuck away in my mind for future reference.
Hans-Peter Feldmann,
Born: Dusseldorf, Germany 1941
9/12 Front Page 2001
100 Newspapers
Dimensions Variable
The most powerful image(s) for me was an Installation: 9/12 Front Page 2001. Again, it was the thought process and concept behind the installation that intrigued me not just the specific image represented throughout. I read the artist statement first before I began to look at the walls of the installation. I started to choke up before I had even finished looking at the images on the first wall; I had two more walls to go. It was almost paralyzing to read over and over what the headlines were around the world. Some of the most powerful headlines were: USA today “US under attack"; Republic of Ireland "Horror in U.S. Leaves the World in Shock"; The Independent "Doomsday America"; The Wall Street Journal "Terror Assaults Stun U.S.".
The images on display were almost a repetitive pattern of the Twin Towers on fire in large color format. One of the few newspapers to choose to go with two smaller pictures was The Wall Street Journal. They chose one small picture of the twin towers on fire and another small picture of people fleeing the area in terror both images were in black and white. The walls of the installation room were painted black with the images in simple frames and displayed in three rows all the way around the room. By the time I reached the middle of the second wall I started to feel the sorrow I had that day. I recalled where I was and who I was with, how we stared glued to the images on the television and cried. I sat down for a while on the bench in the middle of the room; I composed myself by writing a few notes. I then continued and viewed the images staring at me on the third and final wall. I'm not sure what was more powerful the images, the words or the two combined; I believe it was in the combination.
How we see and remember events of the past are embedded as images in our brains, the images picked by the media. How the events of history are documented is how it is forever viewed. This installation had a very powerful effect on me and brought back the memories of that day. The installation had a very somber feel like a funeral and in the sense it was, a funeral of the past that resonated and defined the future.
It never would have occurred to me to use the front pages of newspapers as an instillation.
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