ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Reportage: "Nekropolis Berlin 1945 - Aleppo 2016"
Photographer: Tim van Beveren
Date: January 2016
Place: Berlin
Camera: Leica M Monochrom

Credits: Prof. Dr. Susanne Junker of Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin/ Beuth University of Applied Sciences, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V./ German War Graves Commission, Masterclass M16a Winterterm 2015/16

Text:
Although most people are well aware of the millions of deaths brought about by Nazi tyranny, practically no-one today knows of the 1600 m2 of mass graves that exist right here in Berlin.
At the same time there are around 100.000 refugees in Berlin, escaping from Syria, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan - but most people experience war only online, through the internet, on TV or from newspapers.

Filmmaker and photographer Tim van Beveren, who has worked as a freelancer in wars such as in Iraq and Yugoslavia, led a media project with a group of young students from Berlin, Iran, Syria, Poland, Serbia, France and Portugal. They decided to work with black and white photographs to memorialize the effects of war and the ongoing presence of atrocity and death. In this way, the final reportage is meant as a reflection on our responsibilities towards the social and political events of our day.

The photographs show Aleppo next to Berlin's hidden mass graves and tombstones; war as a media story and emotions as helpless, eternal despair. The original file sizes are about 2m x 2m.

AUTHOR
Freelance journalist, DP, editor and author as well as producer. Since 1989 working for international print, tv and radio broadcast companies worldwide. Special coverage from crisis and war areas, such as former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Near East.

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