Project 2 : The Karl-Heine Kanal
The Karl-Heine Canal was originally built by an industrialist, Karl Heine, in the late 19th century. Hitler attempted to connect this to other canal and river systems across Europe to create one continuous waterway for traffic from the North Sea ports of Hamburg to the Black Sea 1000s of km to the east. Today, only 2 or 3 km remain incomplete...a problem that didnīt interest the authorities in the former East Germany during the next 50 years, as they used it to dump industrial waste and left it to decay. This photographic series examines the metaphor provided by this failure, particularly "the failed and poisoned connection"...yet the water remains, toxic and dark...a witness with secrets. The project includes collaborative work with poets David Howard and Claudia Seise.
