Wim Wenders opens 'Beauty Above Reality' exhibition in London
The devastation of September 11 .. with the camera of one of the giants of European cinema
Famous German director Wim Wenders opened an exhibition in London yesterday, of photographs he took reflecting the devastation left by the September 11 attacks in New York, which he also hopes will present "beauty beyond reality."
The exhibition "Fem Fenders: Photographing Ground Zero" at the Imperial War Museum in south London includes large-scale photographs taken by the veteran director of the destruction, which wrecked the site less than two months after the attacks.
The poignant images show the ruins of the World Trade Center towers, smoke still rising from them, while workers clean the site, which was later renamed Ground Zero, in November 2001.
"I wanted the place to tell me something, to send me a message," Wenders said at the opening of the exhibition in the British capital.
He remembered the sun's rays that had made their way through the rubble amid the thick, stagnant ashes.
The director revealed: "Jamal stood out above reality, and I saw in him a glimmer of hope that some beauty would shine."
The director, known for his artistic films, such as "Buena Vista Social Club", "Wings of Desire" and "Paris, Texas", expressed his hope that "Ground Zero" would be a "lasting symbol of peace and recovery."
He pointed out that the recent developments in Afghanistan, in light of the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from it, and the return of the "Taliban" movement to power, might add a "special symbolism" to his photos in the eyes of some visitors.
Wim Wenders, a self-proclaimed titan of European cinema with a special relationship with the United States, has been immersed in photography throughout his career.
His photos were published and shown on many sites around the world.
The exhibition "Fem Fenders: Photographing Ground Zero" will run until January 9th.
Wim Wenders: "Jamal rose above reality, and I saw in him a glimmer of hope that some beauty would shine."
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