This photograph moved me the most
of the Karlshorst Museum’s exhibitions and objects. The photograph without
context seems innocent enough. A woman wading through a stream towards a bank
does not seem to be anything noteworthy. In addition it is a blown up photo that
ensures that it is the first exhibit that is shown in the war crimes room (or
the last if going through the museum in reverse order.)
The context of the picture is that the
woman is being forcibly sent by Nazis to clear mines; a war crime in progress. A
good point the tour guide made was the implicit admission of guilt by the Nazis
by photographing the act. The Nazis felt justified in their acts so they did
not hide would they did.
Knowing the context behind the
picture adds a sense of apprehension and horror that is greater than seeing
someone actually killed. The imagination fills in the gaps with scenes worse
than what could be photographed. This is a good photograph to contextualize the
war crimes room, because it shows only a victim bringing the focus of the exhibits to the victims.
2 comments:
This museum has definitely opened my eyes to the point of view of the perpetrators. The photography section of this museum was incredibly interesting to me because I had never thought to consider the photographer when looking at photographs from World War II. Our guide mentioned that the perpetrators took pictures, obviously not trying to hide their actions since they could justify their actions. Had you ever heard of this point of view before our visit to this museum?
When I think of media and war, the Vietnam War comes to mind immediately. Because media affected public perception making it unpopular with the public.
There's a documentary called the The Act of Killing (2012) which explores the slaughter of 500,000 (alleged) communists in Indonesia. The documentary does this by talking to the executioners who readily admit and explain in detail their murders. They do this because their celebrated as heroes by most Indonesians and are proud of it. There's a parallel there with the pride Nazis have when they capture moments like this.
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