Transport XX – face to face .
Portraits of Jews deported to Auschwitz in 1943 .
A video impression filmed February 2009 , of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
More on Transport XX – including the documentary film Transport XX to Auschwitz – at my web site here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/ .
Making of the film .
Note that this movie originally started as pure registration – in a few ‘long takes’ – of these quite overwhelming visual impressions from my first encounter with this installation (not yet aware actually of the factual history of these portraits). Only the next day, after completing the capturing of 4 long takes while walking back and forth the rows of portraits – did I read the caption halfway the installation, and first became aware of the background, more or less: that is, the history and ‘identity’ of the portraits and this ‘transport’. This prompted the idea for this visual account with the superimposed montage of the imagery of two of the takes, combined with the ambient sound (with of the lowest levels of wind noise) of a third take.
First film edition “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels”.
A first edition of this film entitled “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” was published on 19 april 2009 via my YouTube channel – and that version was also added in 2009 to the collection of the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Mechelen, Belgium). Link:
Final cut “Transport XX face to face”.
This ‘final cut’ now named “Transport XX face to face” has some editing corrections and a new title and credits.
This edition was first published October 2010 in the 7th round of the New Arrivals 2010 / 2011 of the dutch ‘NTR’ broadcaster: http://www.kortefilmonline.ntr.nl , and uploaded January 2011 at my Vimeo channel and at my now obsolete YouTube channel iClip – that’s being archived, while transferring that iClip content to my main channel youtube.com/michelvanderburg .
New edition.
This remake June 9, 2020 is now produced at higher resolution.
The several editions are posted at my web site here : https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/ .
Credits.
The Kazerne Dossin ( http://www.kazernedossin.eu/ ) digitalised the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files” ( http://www.arch.be/ ) .
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (Belgium) and project “Give them a Face” which aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Film : Transport XX — face to face (20200609) Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media .
