Photography exhibit of Cold War landmarks at 7444
By COURTNEY MILLER, Enterprise internArticle Photos
SARANAC LAKE - Montana State University photographer Kelly Gorham will be displaying selections from his Cold War East Berlin exhibit, "The Stones Have Memories" at the 7444 gallery on Depot Street in Saranac Lake.
The opening for the show will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, which is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Overall, the drive for the exhibit, which will eventually tour nationwide, will be to show and preserve a part of history that Gorham said is slowly becoming forgotten.
"It's not really covered in history in school anymore. Why would students know about it? Gorham said. "That really made me think, I have to get this out there.
In October 2008, Gorham visited East Berlin to photograph remnants of the Cold War. Out of the many photos shot, 43 were chosen for the whole exhibit, which can also be seen online.
Many of these photos feature such Cold War landmarks as places where the Berlin Wall stood, Stasi Prison and Glienecke Bridge.
Gorham said the photographs reflect on the somber tones of communist life in East Berlin with visions of prisons, guard towers and stories of those who tried to cross the wall and failed.
"That was kind of my whole guiding principal, and when I was thinking about it, I wasn't sure how it was going to work," Gorham said. "As a photojournalist, I'm used to capturing stuff as it happens. I was a little hesitant because I wouldn't want these to come off looking like tourist snapshots. I wanted to be documentary and I really wanted to communicate the history behind these locations, that was really important to me."
For the touring exhibit, eight photos were selected to be made into prints for display in galleries. With the variety of locations featured, it was a difficult decision, narrowing down eight photos for printing.
"I labored over that for months and in the end I had some colleagues look through and kept taking opinions. These were the ones that had the biggest impact and the most questions.
"A couple that would be displayed regardless, such as the bridge. It symbolized a lot of the 'cloak and dagger' and spy aspect of the Cold War," said Gorham on the difficult choice of selecting the eight photos that were selected for printing.
The photos themselves are a blend of art and history. Using the chromogenic printing technique, there is a texture that adds to the atmosphere of the subject matter. In the process, the photos were first taken with a digital camera for quality and diversity in terms of how to utilize the photos.
When it came to making the actual prints, using digital photos offered the most detail. The photos were altered with software to look like black and white photos taken with Kodak TMAX100 film.
The prints themselves were made in a custom lab in Minnesota on a new paper that contains a layer of silver emulsion, giving the final prints a metallic texture, as Gorham wanted to emphasize texture.
Of course, one of the biggest parts of this exhibit is the fact that it will open on the anniversary of the Berlin Wall being torn down. Initially, Gorham wanted to do a book with the photos and have it released Nov. 9. Eventually, he had the idea to do a touring exhibit instead, opening on that date.
"After the conversations with (Todd Smith of the 7444 gallery), I liked him and liked his enthusiasm and thought, 'let's do it there.' He was adamant that it should be done on Nov. 9. That's how it came together.
"The wall was the major symbol of the Cold War, but so much else that I feel was represented all came to an end on November 9. I feel like this project is really tied to the date."
Even before the prints were exhibiting, Gorham hoped that the online exhibit would be understood by viewers, especially, Germans who lived in Berlin at the end of the Cold War. Recently, a colleague who lived in Berlin when the Wall came down contacted Gorham and reflected upon the excitement of the 20th anniversary coming up. He was even planning a party on Nov. 9.
"I was always concerned with how Germans would view this project," Gorham said. "I've been pleased that the responses from people from Berlin have been really positive."
Gorham said he also hopes that there will be arrangements with area schools to bring classes to the exhibit for an artistic history lesson.
"For school kids to come by and just look at the images, and if they could walk away having just learned one little thing, I'd be thrilled," Gorham said.
The show opens on Nov. 9 at the 7444 Gallery in Saranac Lake.
For further information, call the 7444 gallery at 282-4743.
The 43-photo exhibit of "The Stones Have Memories" can also be viewed online at www.gorhamphotography.com/berlin.htm.
