This week I took another trip to the countryside north-west of Hamburg to visit my parents. The opening of my dad’s photography exhibit entitled “Wiesenkerbel und Wasserlilie” took place a few weeks ago already (the same day I shot the footage of the St. Pauli celebrations featured in In A Berlin Minute – Week 2), but it was just this week that I made it back to Haselau to see my dad again and get access to his original photos.
If you speak German, you can read a bit more about my dad, Günter Westphal, and his art work, which he splits into two categories: photography and aesthetic work in social* and public areas.
The speech was given by Hajo Schiff, who has spoken at others of my dad’s openings and also written at least one preface to one of his publications.
The quote in the video is by Raoul Hausmann and very loosely translates to: “But if the photograph of a landscape is supposed to be something else than just a postcard, then it’s essential to not just take a snapshot is passing but to have experienced the change of the landscape, the kind of growth, its morning and afternoon character and much more. Because seeing is not just a casual glance. Seeing is much more often watching. A direction of all senses expresses itself in this watching, and from this direction the artist pulls his energy of creation. And, as far as it is possible with technical, mechanical means, even the photographer.”
And in case you’re wondering, yes, the photographs are all for sale and they are big, shiny and stunning when you see them in actuality.
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*as it relates to sociology and social work, not to being social and hanging out sipping Martinis
