This photograph is from the series Berlin. In 2008, Mitch Epstein was awarded a six-month residency at the American Academy in Berlin, where he set out to examine the city’s layered and tormented history by photographing its remnants of fascism and communism.
Mitch Epstein’s (b. 1952, USA) extensive and wide-ranging body of work has been made in the United States and other countries, including India and Vietnam. He has photographed, among other things, energy production sites (American Power, 2003 – 2009); the demise of his father’s companies (Family Business, 2000 – 2003); and, most recently, a portrait of New York City through its trees (New York Arbor, 2011-2012). He has also worked as a director, cinematographer, and production designer on several films.
This photograph featured as part of the Touchstone programme (2012-2020). Each display consisted of a single photographic work on the Eranda studio floor where visitors were invited to respond to the question 'What do you see?' using the cards and pencils provided. A bench was placed in front of the work, encouraging people to spend a little longer than they might usually. The programme was part of a wider series of projects and activities related to visual literacy.
A selection of audience responses to the question 'What do you see?'
