ON VIEW
Old Forts Full of Memories
I recently wrote a very personal reflection about my inspiration, project and creative process at Fort Point for Outside Lands Magazine, the publication of my favourite and frequent collaborating neighborhood history organization the Western Neighborhoods Project.
The Vanished Jewish Cemetery of Seelow
tIn collaboration with the University of Potsdam Brandenburg Jewish Cemetery Project and Dr. Anke Geißler-Grunberg, I have recently published the first comprehensive history of the destroyed Jewish Cemetery of Seelow. The cemetery is where my great grandfather and great great grandparents are buried. During World War II, it was desecrated and destroyed and later was turned into a car park, which it remained for 60+ years. Last year, upon my family visiting the town, the asphalt was removed and it is now overgrowing unused area.
My hope is that this article along with my visual proposals can serve as further evidence to support creating a place of remembrance for my ancestors who are buried there. The town is currently seeking funds to carry out the project and I am hoping this will be a catalyst for the long overdue restoration.
Article in English
A History of the Disappeared Jewish Cemetery and Community of Seelow
Article in German
Geschichte des Jüdischen Friedhofs in Seelow
Geschichte der Juden in Seelow
Proposed Jewish Cemetery Memorial, Seelow, Germany
My great-grandfather and great-great grandparents and other ancestors have been buried in a Jewish Cemetery in Germany since the 1800s. During the Nazi period the cemetery was desecrated and in World War Two it was destroyed and later paved over as a parking lot, which it has remained for over 60 years. I am recovering the history of the cemetery and I am working on a proposal with the town to create a memorial and return the paved over cemetery as a memorial park.
Historischer Stadtrundgang - Nr.1, Strausberg, Germany
A short dreamlike tour, reimagines and visually explores 73 Gross Strasse, the former house of my Great-Great Grandparents, that was confiscated by the Gestapo in 1939, and demolished in 1940. During the past year I have been recovering this lost family story and have recreated their house and Textile Shop in Strausberg, Germany, as a 3D model and animation, an artistic process of cultural recovery and repair.
Stolperstein for my great-grandfathers
Over the past year I have been engaged in the process of researching and applying for my great-grandfathers and other ancestors who were victims of the Holocaust. In March 2024, I will be visiting Berlin and suburbs Strausberg, and Seelow, the home towns of my grandparents to lay Stolperstein for my great-grandparents.
Release of Interrogative Design Book, MIT Press
I am delighted to be part of this book, Interrogative Design, by Ian Wojtowicz. The book is an in depth compendium featuring the work of Krzysztof Wodiczko, his students and artistic colleagues. With rich essays and project examples the book focuses on Wodiczko's, interrogative design approach which focuses on activating the public sphere and enriching public discourse through the production of questions. My contribution is an essay proposing to animate the and interrogate, the Life of Washington Murals in San Francisco.
IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS
NBC Bay Area News, Joe Rosato Jr.
Announcement of Fort Point Project in MIT, Art, Culture and Technology News
Ben Wood, A Bastion of Memory, Announcement
In memory of Max Philippsborn, a stumbling block in Seelow has been commemorated, ODERLAND−ECHO
Strausberg, Germany remembers, Helene Levy, a victim of the National Socialism, MÄRKISCHES ECHO
Art Activating Historic Places, Panel, April 20, California Preservation Conference
I was thrilled and honored to participate in a panel "Art Activating Historic Places", with Cheryl Haines of the FOR-SITE Foundation and Frank Smigiel, Director of Arts and Programming at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.