Cultural Heritage Artists Project: David Ottenstein

Three questions for New Haven photographer David Ottenstein about his experience with the Orchard Street project.

As a local (New Haven) artist, were you aware of the Orchard Street Shul before the project?
Yes, I was aware of the Orchard Street shul. Several years ago someone in the community brought it to my attention. I photographed it then, but had always intended to go back and do some more work. This project presented the perfect opportunity for me.

Can you describe the technique you used for your photograph and how they fit into your portfolio?
Unlike much of my work, all the photographs included in the project were captured digitally. Usually I photograph on 4x5 film, then scan my negatives and print them with pigment inks. The 8 smaller images are individual exposures; however, the large, central image was created from 16 separate digital files that were stitched together in my computer. I had been experimenting with this stitching technique prior to my work on this project, but this is the first time I produced a finished exhibition piece using the technique. The prints were made with the same inks, paper and type of printer that I typically use.
To most viewers, I expect that these photographs will be indistinguishable from my 4x5 work. Combining multiple files to create a single large print yields clarity and resolution at least equal to what I can achieve with a scanned 4x5 negative.

How important for you are artist networks such as CHAP?
This is the first time I have been involved in a project through an organization like CHAP. It has been a very rewarding experience. Being part of a diverse artistic community, guided by a common theme, is a great way to work. It provides inspiration and energy in a way that working in isolation simply cannot do. I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit and meeting more of the artists. I will likely pay attention to future opportunities for working with similar networks.

The other 9th of November

Newspapers worldwide feature today the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Another event that happened as well on November 9th seems today forgotten: Kristallnacht.

Zeek magazine features today photographs by Julian Voloj of the Muensterland, a small geographic area in the north west of Germany. Voloj was born in Muenster, the capitol of this region, and for this project, the New York based photographer re-visited his hometown and the surrounding area, documenting the last traces of the once vibrant Jewish culture in this area. None of the villages he photographed has a Jewish community today, but other areas witness a renaissance of Jewish life. Around 200,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union turned Germany's sleeping Jewish community of around 25,000 into the third largest of Europe with around 220,000 (only around half of them are recognized by the official Jewish community due to Halachic definition).

Voloj's photographs are traces of the past, taken nearly 70 years after Kristallnacht. Today, 71 years later, they are a silent reminder.

(To visit the slide show, click here.)