Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/11/05

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Subject: [Leica] 'Berlin' NOW '3 days of Berlin'
From: philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)
Date: Sat Nov 5 10:32:48 2005

Thank you Eric, Don, Dick, Luis, Douglas and Ric for commenting on my
previous posted miniseries of our visit to Berlin.

Meanwhile, I've had the time to edit all the shots I made during the 3
wonderful days my wife and I spent there and I present you a selection of
them below.
All shots were made with my Digilux 2, RAW format at 100 ASA, full auto.
Always handheld, which in some cases lead to not 100% sharp images.
Sometimes extensive PS work, since you might know that I consider this an
equally important part of picture making/visualising in these digital days.
But that is a debate that I hope will not be held in this thread.
I hope you enjoy them.

(if you don't like to read: the entire series is at
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/)

1. Day 1: Kaiser Wilhelm Ged?chtniskirche (close to the Zoo Bahnhof) + from
the Alexanderplatz over the Museum Insel to the Brandenburger Tor

Starting at the Ged?chtniskirche:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020062.html

Very close to the Alexanderplatz (ex East Berlin) stands an impressive
tower: the Fernseh Turm (Television tower):
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020064.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020066.html
We didn't go to the top of it, since that would have meant waiting for an
hour or so, and we had other things to do.

Between the Alexanderplatz and the Brandenburger Tor: the Museum Insel.
An 'island' packed with musea and monuments, such as the Berliner Dom
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020067.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020069.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020078.html
And the Altes Museum (the old museum):
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020071.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020073.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020076.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020077.html

A bit further, almost at Unter Den Linden, the former central boulevard of
better Berlin, the Neue Wache. It started to get darker already at that
time, and the city light were put on:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020079.html

Finally, we arrived at the Brandenburger Tor, restaured in its former glory.
15 years ago, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this site was completely
left at its own. Now it stands as a beacon again, in the center of the town:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020080.html

On the Pariser Platz, which lies on the east side of the Tor, we had a
coffee in the caf? of the New Academy of Arts:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020083.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020084.html

And after that, we went back to our hotel to prepare for dinner:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020087.html

2. Day 2: Potsdamer Platz and surroundings

Potsdamer Platz was a waistland in the dim years between WW2 and some 15
years ago. Now it is vibrating with life, and new and modern buildings pop
out at an incredible place. But sometimes you still can see a grim reminder
of how controlled the East Berliners were:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020090.html

We went to see the Martin Gropius Bau, where an international photography
exhibition was held, but the only spot one could take photographs was in the
cafetaria:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020095.html

Walking in the direction of Chackpoint Charlie, an old East german building
still stood there, waiting to be renovated into expensive offices or lofts.
Not everybody likes luxury though:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020096.html

Proof of why the East German system delivered such fine athletes in a
certain period: there wasn't much else to do, and sports were heavily
promoted, wherever you lived:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020104.html

Meanwhile, cutting edge architecture at the Potsdamer Platz:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020106.html

And a, er, selfportrait:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020113.html

Back to the Zoo Station, where we also visited the Museum f?r Photographie.
A permanent exhibition and ode to Helmut Newton + some new talent.
Personally, I don't like Helmut Newton's work that much (it's as if he hates
women), but it certainly was renewing in its days, and still is inspiring.
On the top floor, ni the old casino of the Wehrmacht, an impressive
exposition space with the work of young photographers. I liked the space
more that their work...
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020114.html

We took the S-Bahn to the Hamburger Bahnhof, now the Museum for Gegenwart
(Modern Art), so I decided to do a B.D. style metro shot:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020119.html

The museum itself was impressive, even before entering:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020124.html

The entrance of the main hall:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020126.html

It was one of the only musea we visited in Berlin, where photography was
allowed (without flash, but we're Leica, so who cares :):
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020133.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020137.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020139.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020140.html

The end of the left wing of the museum:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020144.html

And the walk back to the main hall:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020148.html

It is sometimes said that the modern artist needs drugs and pills to produce
renewing work, and I think it's true:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020153.html

And after taking them, everything becomes a work of art:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020155.html

Leaving the museum, the artificial light turned the place into something
magical:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020158.html

So we took another coffee at the Museum cafe, where I spotted this 'reading
symmetry':
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020161.html

3. Day 3: the impressive and silencing day

There are a lot of Jewish memorials in Berlin, for very obvious reasons, but
IMO 2 stand out.

One is the Jewish Memorial, a chilling and silencing place that makes you
feel just for a tiny bit, what the Jewish must have suffered between '39 and
'45:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020163.html
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020165.html

The other one is the Jewish Museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind, one of my
most preferred contemporary architects. The Museum gives you, almost at any
spot, a feeling of total desorientation. Again to make clear to visitors
what it means to be rejected and haunted. I think Libeskind succeeded in
this:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020172.html

And to finish, in the Oranienburger Strasse another glass decoration, but of
a different kind than the first one posted in this message:
http://users.telenet.be/philippe.orlent/Berlin/pages/L1020173.html

Thanks for looking, and if you're still up to it, commenting on these
images.

Philippe




Replies: Reply from abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge) ([Leica] 'Berlin' NOW '3 days of Berlin')
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In reply to: Message from ericm at pobox.com (Eric) ([Leica] Berlin)