Project 1: Holocaust Memorial by Elly Ngoh

https://youtu.be/pXvZpdlu81A

My film explores the Holocaust Memorial on the corner of East Washington Street and Fletcher Street, next to Rackham Auditorium. This space was chosen because it manages to create a private domain in a public location, without the introduction of walls and barriers. The concrete path and surrounding shrubbery defines a clear boundary, creating an area separate from the busy sidewalks and the rest of the lawn. A sense of privacy is created by this separation, inviting solitude and contemplation about the survivors that the statue commemorates.

In my film, I wanted to enhance these unique aspects of the space. In particular, I focused on the statue as the centrepiece of the film, investigating how the space was designed to compliment the reading of the piece. In order to achieve this, I selected specific techniques that I maintained throughout shooting.

Firstly, I used stationary shots throughout the film. Stationary shots mirror the still and unchanging nature of the space. Keeping the camera stable reflects the sense of calm and isolation that the space evokes, enhancing the area as a place for deeper thought and contemplation. Secondly, I used a variety of angled shots to capture both the domain being studied and the area outside of the domain. For example, certain angles were used to show the bus stop outside the space in the background, contrasting the stillness in the domain to the traffic on the street. Thirdly, to show how the passage of time affected the space, I focused on how lighting changed and interacted with the statue. In the morning, light shines through a gap in the tree canopy and falls directly on the right side of the statue. This makes it look as if the man is shielding himself from the light and trying to escape. On the other hand, at dusk, the shadows cloak the statue in darkness so that viewers can barely make out the details of his face. This attention to the way light and shadow falls over the time of the day implies very deliberate consideration of the site and the memorial’s interaction with it.

Overall, I think I managed to capture the emotion that the space seeks to evoke and highlight unique features of the site that most people do not notice.