in her series ‘berlin’, artist diane meyer has hand-sewn 43 photographs with embroidered elements that represent the former wall dividing the city. the series, titled ‘berlin’, overlays various elements in the images with each section of embroidery illustrating where the divide would have bisected or blocked views. the images are from a series of hand-embroidered photographs following the entire 104-mile circumference of the berlin wall.

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

images courtesy of diane meyer

 

 

meyer was interested in the psychological weight of these sites and the ways in which past history remains very much in the present. each image was taken in the city center as well as in the suburbs where the artist followed the former path of the wall through the outskirts of the city.

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

 

 

obscuring sections of the images using by sewing cross-stitch embroidery directly onto the photograph, the obstructed elements represent the exact scale and location of the former wall. offering a blurred view of what lies behind, the embroidery is made to resemble pixels and borrows the visual language of digital imaging in an analog, handmade process.

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

 

 

‘the embroidery appears as a translucent trace in the landscape of something that no longer exists but is a weight on history and memory,’ meyer explains. ‘by having the embroidery take the form of digital pixels, I am making a connection between forgetting and digital file corruption. I am interested in the porous nature of memory as well the means by which photography transforms history into nostalgic objects that obscure objective understandings of the past.’

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

 

 

commemorating 30 years since the berlin wall fell, meyer’s berlin series is on view through january 10, 2020, at klompching gallery in brooklyn, new york. you can see more of the artists work on her instagram and on her website.

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

hand-stitched photographs mimic the berlin wall divide 30 years after its fall

 

project info

 

artist: diane meyer
series: berlin
exhibition: berlin
where: klompching gallery
dates: until january 10, 2020