A537

The Holocaust memorial in Berlin is composed of thousands of large concrete stellae which are varied in height and arranged in an enormous grid pattern. I was photographing among the structures, concentrating on the disorienting maze-like configurations, when I looked up and saw the contrail from an aircraft in the sky above. I quickly adjusted my position so that the contrail was located precisely between 2 monuments, and underexposed so that the stellae would appear in silhouette against the sky and contrail. I like the graphic nature of this image and the way the contrail bisects the space. There is a sinister, divisive quality to this image which suits the mood of the Memorial.