A project by Nelli Scheiermann
Hochschule Düsseldorf
with Prof. Anja Vormann
The objective of the seminar appeared dazzling and courageous. Delve into Jewish life and make it more tangible. Combat anti-Semitism at the sharp end of visual media. Hooray! In my role as a non-Jewish designer, I experienced intellectual barriers while working on the project. Why do we address the »Jewish« as »other«? Doesn‘t such a formulation contradict the idea of convergence and equality? And what legitimizes me – with my vague knowledge of Judaism and (German)-Jewish history – to speak for or represent the Jewish community without serving further prejudice and therefore – out of sheer ignorance on my side – feeding on resentment or creating romanticized, philo-Semitic images?
Preliminary studies on Jewish life in Germany; field trip to Israel, followed by creating illustrations in anticipation of the received impressions; analogue drawings / digital post-processing with application of snapshots taken in Israel.
