ABSTRACT
It is retrospectively impossible to separate my memories of my initial experience of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin from my later thoughts and feelings about both the memorial itself and the images I had captured. I knew beforehand that it would be important for me to photographically record my experience—to make a memorial of a memorial. I first came upon the memorial during a casual walk, my first day of my first trip to Berlin since its completion. I spotted in Potsdammer Platz the sign “.5 Km—Memorial to the Murdered Jews,” written in both German and English, and realized I would have my first view of the memorial. I had planned to visit the memorial, of course, but not at that time. In retrospect, the goal of photographing the memorial was manifold. I wanted to preserve my experiences, express my feelings about them, and share my responses as filtered through my own particular vision.
