This was quite a somber experience for me, and I think many/all the students. Even though I have been to and lived in Germany several times, I had never before gone to a concentration camp. This time, it was important that we all experienced this.
I do not have pictures to show you of this place. Some of the student blogs have photos, but I just could not bring myself to use my camera. Maybe because photos help me remember, but I need no extra help remembering this horrible place. Maybe I see picture-taking as a positive, and this was not a positive place to capture. Whatever the reason, the only photo I took was this:
A quite moving piece of art that captures the strange and disturbing quality of the visit for me.
Part 2: BMW Welt
We returned into the heart of the city for our next area of exploration. After the sad morning, I was quite happy to finally get to one of my most anticipated buildings; the BMW World delivery and experience center by Coop Himmelb(l)au. Famous the world over for its avant-garde design, the building evokes a baroque excessiveness for the 21st century. Philosophically, this "cathedral to commerce" may be of questionable value, but visually and experientially the building is a marvel. I took a LOT of photos here.
Yes, I am lying on the ground to get this up-shot.
While these shots document the "seeing" of the place, I think the experience is more abstract, all sinuous curves and melting lines, glass and metal flowing together like a giant lava-lamp. Maybe this next set of images is more the "being" of the place?
Part 3: Olympic Park (1972) (architects: Otto Frei and Gunter Behnisch)
Just across the highway from BMW Welt sits the grounds of the Olympic Park, where the 1972 games were held. The current complex has a swimming hall, stadium, and two spaces I think now event halls. The flowing, tensile structures show that the "new" forms of the BMW Welt actually fit in with the area's history of forms.
from the walking bridge
Inside the swim hall.
We gave the students time to explore both the BMW Welt and the Olympic park as they chose. Hopefully their blog entries will give a full sense of the places.
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