This place was exceptional, confusing, troubling, joyful and thought provoking. It’s all those things because Daniel Libeskind designed it that way, which is a good thing . . . I think. The Jewish Museum Berlin in many ways asks its visitors to reconsider what a museum is, what it means to put things on display, and what do we do when so much of a culture has been destroyed, as the Nazis tried to do.
But in many ways the meaning of the design and the museum’s contents is left open for visitors to create. And that might be my one criticism of the museum as Libeskind conceived it: his design is what draws your attention, not the displays. Then again, maybe that’s a good thing; I’m not sure. I will be putting some photos up, but until then here is a video I took of the “Fallen Leaves” exhibition. This exhibition very much stands on its own, but could not work if it wasn’t for the Libeskind design.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mQnDpniMQXs