25 March 2016 until 5 June 2016
Stadthaus Ulm (small exhibition rooms) (link)
Artwork: Felix Alexander Oppenheim
Project management: Dr. Raimund Kast
Exhibition design: Tommi Brem
Installation shots: Dr. Sabine Presuhn
In 1855 or 1856, travelling photographer Felix Alexander Oppenheim (1819–1898) are some of the earliest known photos of Ulm. They are, essentially, snapshots taken by a tourist and depict the obvious sites: the market square, the Minster.
While the exhibition was held in the small exhibition rooms of Stadthaus Ulm, that space is quite big if you have only 12 pieces to display, pieces that are quite small. We decided to leave the walls empty and create a different set-up, where the audience would be with their backs to the bare walls, where they could focus on each of these antique shots individually. With one exception, an image we presented in large size, back-lit, so people could discover the surprising amount of detail captured in these photos from over 150 years ago, an era when cameras were as big as microwaves and where the streets appear empty thanks to the long exposure times …