Blog 21 10 22 In MemoriamCopyright Paul Grayson Photeinos.com

The Washington Monument is here framed by the cladding of the beautiful National Museum of African American History and Culture, both on the National Mall in Washington. I was deeply moved by my visit to this place, which has inner architectural beauty, as well as a fascinating exterior aesthetic. Its’ asymmetric form is a fit metaphor for the emotional disturbance which it evokes with the story it tells. 

I have never been in a place, not even Yad Vashem, which has a specific grieving space, such as this museum’s “Contemplative Court”. A visitor may calm their soul there and privately shed a tear. All that to say, that I found the visit disturbing and when I came across this view, it spoke to the confusion I was feeling and the need to try and make sense of  conflicting lines of thought.

I hope that this image may contribute to peacefully connecting the two memorials and contribute to the healing vocation of the museum.

Settings

Camera: Nikon D850

Lens: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

Drive Mode: Single

Focal Length: 24mm 

Auto Focus-Area Mode: Single

Aperture: f/10

Shutter Speed: 1/250s

Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority

Exposure Compensation: -1.3 EV

Metering: Pattern

ISO Sensitivity: 400

Format: Raw

Mounted on Monopod

Place : National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington

Year: 2018