Images - New Rooms – New Views

Many of Berlin’s districts and neighborhoods were destroyed during the war. With the fabric of the former cityscape torn apart, familiar elements appeared in unfamiliar contexts. Seidenstücker explored the new relationships that emerged between various elements of the built and natural environments. He captured views through buildings and painful gaps that had not existed before the war. Interiors become exteriors. The remains of modern office buildings and train stations constituted new and unusual sights. Seidenstücker occasionally photographed ruins that can still be seen in Berlin today, including the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Anhalter Bahnhof [train station].

In much of Seidenstücker’s postwar work, people play a secondary role amidst the architecture. In fact, more often than people, it is sculpture that is frequently contrasted with ruins. These photographs differ sharply from the ones he took during the Weimar Republic, almost all of which focused on people in everyday situations. This change in style marked a decisive point in his oeuvre.

List of Images