2.04.2024

memorial to the murdered jews of europe (berlin)

 

 
Peter Eisenman designed this Holocaust memorial in Berlin with 2,711 concrete pillars of varying height across 200,000 square feet in downtown Berlin. An underground bunker holds the names of the about three million killed during World War II by Nazi Germany.  Dedicated in 2005, it has not aged well, primarily with what appears to be poor foundation materials since parts of the memorial are tiled helter-skelter and many of the pillars are being redone.

As a fan of cubism and Brutalism, I liked the display, but the impersonality of the installation results in many people not understanding what it is about. On the other hand, maybe that's what this display is about: some know what's "happening" with the exhibit while others have no idea or no curiosity to know more, kinda like the Holocaust at the time it happened.
 


 




 

 

 

 

 


 

1.27.2024

a visit to daniel libeskind's military history museum in dresden, germany

On the way from Berlin to Prague, we stopped in to gawk at Libeskind's addition to the Military Museum in Dresden, Germany. A short jaunt from the highway, we parked and walked to check out the building. We didn't have time to check out the museum's contents, but we were able to walk the grounds and get a few peeks inside (bathrooms! cafe!).

Libeskind is the king of borgitecture, and you can see why: his radical interventions are shocking but also somehow work. As we strolled the steps, I could hear the critics arguing about Dan screwing up an historical building physically as well as aesthetically; however, I was surprised (relieved?) to see that the front, jutting volume is simply attached to the original building like a remora attached to an old grizzled shark, retaining the original inside. Nice touch.