Photography Exhibit: Life Before Death

1. Explain the benefits and downsides of the subject Walter Schels has chosen to study. How does it effect him both positively and negatively?

Working with these dead bodies is making Schels confront his fear of death. Addressing a fear is never easy, but can be monumentally important in moving past the fear. Schels is able to see death from the eyes of the people he studies. However, he does spend a lot of time around people that are dead. I can’t personally say that would be an upside. He is completely surrounded by death.


2. How has the creation of this artistic exhibit changed the artist? How did viewing it change you?

Schels grew to understand death, not be comfortable with it. He saw that people around him were dying and turned it into an art form. He learned to value life as we have it and not take it for granted. I found the pictures striking, to say the least. I’m pretty comfortable with death and dying, but these pictures definitely opened my eyes. I wasn’t radically changed by viewing these pictures, but I surely can see death a little differently from these photographs.

3. Do you think this exhibit is art? Why/why not?

Personally, I think anything that is art to the person who creates it is art. If you believe what you are doing is artistic, it should at least be considered as an art. In this case, studying the dead and photographing them is definitely art. It shows a person and concept from a point of view, which is without a doubt an art form.

4. Which of the photo pairs do you find the most poignant? Explain.

Picture 12, the second portrait of Heiner Schmitz, made a big impression on me. In the first picture of Schmitz, we see a man who doesn’t look remarkably different from anyone else. In this picture however, we see a dejected man with a contorted face who seems to just be contemplating his experiences and how he has gotten to this particular era of his life.


5. Which of the subjects' words did you find the most striking? Explain.


I have to go with Heiner Schmitz again. I love his dry sense of humor even in the time of death. If I were dying, and people were telling me “I hope you get better!”, I would probably just laugh in their face and say “Look, pal, you and I both know I’m about to kick the bucket. Let’s act accordingly, shall we?”

1. Explain the benefits and downsides of the subject Walter Schels has chosen to study. How does it effect him both positively and negatively?

This subject will have affected him negatively though the means of his memory. The faces, words, and families of his subjects may linger in his mind and forever haunt him. But it all depends on how he chooses to react. The benefits would be that he is around death and has the chance to get used to it and come face to face with it. So when it is his time to pass on, he will have been around death so much, that he will be comfortable when his death comes.


2. How has the creation of this artistic exhibit changed the artist? How did viewing it change you?

It changed the artist in that he was able to overcome his fear of death and dead bodies. He had had a fear of dead bodies ever since he was young, and by creating this exhibit, he was able to face death literally right in the face, and overcome his fear. He is now comfortable with dead bodies and sees them in a whole new light, as a form of art. It changed his overall view of death. Viewing these photographs did not teach me much that I did not already know. It just made me think a little bit more about what I already did know and helped me elaborate on my own thoughts.

3. Do you think this exhibit is art? Why/why not?

Not necessarily. I feel that it is more of a documentation than art. I mean, it is not very hard to prop up a body and then take a picture of it. He is just photographing a body. He is no more than a portrait photographer. Sure, he may have some artistic insight in the photographs, but the exhibit is no more artistic than the photographs in a history book. The idea is somewhat artistic and spiritual, but the photographs themselves are not.

4. Which of the photo pairs do you find the most poignant? Explain.

I think that the most poignant pair was the first pair of Edelgard Clavey because in the before picture, she looked like she was ok, and handling it well, and still looked cute. And even in her death photo, her face still had a sense of elegance that gave off a vibe of acceptance and comfort. It showed that death does not have to be feared and that in time you can grow to accept it and die comfortably.


5. Which of the subjects' words did you find the most striking? Explain.

Again, the first subject, Edelgard Clavey. She spoke of how "death was] a test of one's maturity." When death comes, the way you handle it greatly depends on how you prepared for it by living. It tests how mature you're life has been, and if you are at peace with yourself. Because if you are at peace with yourself and if you have fulfilled everything that you needed to do, then you will be mature and face death comfortably and peacefully. However, if you have regrets and problems leading all the way up to your death, you will be sacred and not mature enough in your own view of your life to handle the situation of your death. You have to get through it on your own and be patient. You are no longer in control, death is, but if you are happy and mature, you should be comfortable and pass the test.

1. Explain the benefits and downsides of the subject Walter Schels has chosen to study. How does it effect him both positively and negatively?

The benefits of Walter Schels job are getting to spend time with people who are dying. Yeah, that sounds bad, I know, but Schels doesn't see it in that way. His optimistic point of view sees it as a learning experience. I mean, people who are older have things to say too, and they are usually more intelligent than anything our age group has to say. They've lived through everything we are currently going through. As you can probably imagine, the difficulties of this job are quite clear. No matter how optimistic your views are, there is always difficulty in being around someone who is embarking on their final journey in their life, especially if you do get close to the person. The hours of the job are also very harsh. If a person dies, he has to rush over to them right then and there, no excuses.

2. How has the creation of this artistic exhibit changed the artist? How did viewing it change you?

It changed the artists view of life itself. He did a personal evaluation of himself on how he was living his life. He now feels he knows the importance of making his life count for something, not just rushing through it. It sort of changed me in the same way. It made me think about how I was living my life. It really does put into perspective that death is unavoidable and it will happen to all of us, no matter how much we try to stop it. We are all going to die eventually, so why not live life to its fullest right now?

3. Do you think this exhibit is art? Why/why not?

Oh, of course this is art. Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. I think that if you are not experiencing the emotional power of these photographs, there is something wrong with you...

4. Which of the photo pairs do you find the most poignant? Explain.

Im going to be really unoriginal (because I'm sure everyone else said her as well) and say Beate Taube, the breast cancer patient. Taube doesn't demonstrate any signs of physical illness in the first picture, but when you look into her eyes, you can tell something is wrong. She doesn't look at peace with herself. She looks sad and scared. When you click to the next picture, you can tell that she was really really sick. She lost all of her hair and her eyes are dark and sunken in. She has spots on her face that weren't there before. Its also sad in the fact that I don't get a sense of peace in the after death picture. She looks like she might have been in pain.

5. Which of the subjects' words did you find the most striking? Explain.

Rita Schoffler, hands down. She explains how she had a rough divorce seventeen years prior to her death. It was so bad that she wouldn't even let him see their children. She had completely shut him out of her life. At her death, she wanted to see her ex-husband. She called him and he came straight over. She even states, "I shouldn't have waited nearly so long to forgive and forget. I'm still fond of him despite everything." She resented him for what he did, the pain he had caused her, so why is it that now that she feels the need to be with him again? It's because, as indirectly explained, once you realize that you don't have a lot of time left in this life, little past experiences don't seem to matter anymore.

1. Explain the benefits and downsides of the subject Walter Schels has chosen to study. How does it effect him both positively and negatively?
The positive affects are the understanding of dying, and the ability to help people who are dying tell there story to someone and keep them company. But the long ours cut into her sleep, having to get up at the drop of a dime was hard.

2. How has the creation of this artistic exhibit changed the artist? How did viewing it change you?
She use to be scared of death but now she understands and excepts it and relizes she has to make the best of her life now.

3. Do you think this exhibit is art? Why/why not?
yes i believe anything that expressses ones inner feelings or thought is considered art, especially since hers is expressed through photos.

4. Which of the photo pairs do you find the most poignant? Explain.
The women who worked all her life to beable to live comfortable in retirement is the most poignant photo, you can see the angerand annoyance in her expression.


5. Which of the subjects' words did you find the most striking? Explain.
The fact that one of them felt like she was a BURDEN TO SOCIETY. I believe the feeling of being useless in the world is what really makes one feel like there dying.

1. Explain the benefits and downsides of the subject Walter Schels has chosen to study. How does it effect him both positively and negatively?
His benefits is that now he feels more comfortable with the whole death process. He now knows what different kinds of diseases can do to you and before you know it they are gone. Downside is that these people are all going to die and have to let go of their relationship. This effects him positively because he is more comfortable with death now, it effects him negative because he gets to know these people and before you know it they are gone which makes him really sad.

2. How has the creation of this artistic exhibit changed the artist? How did viewing it change you?
This has changed Walter Schels because now he takes into mind that death has to happen, its natural, its something that is going to happen no matter what and nobody can do anything about that. This work of art changed me because it made me feel more comfortable knowing that when one dies you don’t look all nasty and dead and falling apart, and having my family know that too is great to know.

3. Do you think this exhibit is art? Why/why not?
Yes, I think it is a great exhibit of art, very unique and rare, not many would see this of art or even think of doing this. This is photography just about dead people which don’t look dead at all but don’t look alive either.

4. Which of the photo pairs do you find the most poignant? Explain.
I find the photos of Elly Genthy most poignant because she said that if she couldn’t take care of herself she’d rather be dead. By the first picture you can tell she was having a hard time and I can see how she wanted to just rather die.

5. Which of the subjects' words did you find the most striking? Explain.
I really liked what Maria Hai-Anh Tuyet Cao had to say, “Death is nothing” “I embrace death. It is not eternal. Afterwards, when we meet God, we become beautiful. We are only called back to earth if we are still attached to another human being in the final seconds” I would like to believe that as well, she like Morrie chose to embrace death before there time came. Maria knows that she is better off in heaven. She spent most of her days preparing for death.

1. Explain the benefits and downsides of the subject Walter Schels has chosen to study. How does it effect him both positively and negatively?

Walter Schels' subject may affect him positively by helping him look at death a totally different way. After his horrible experiences of death, it can help him to overcome the fear of death. He can be comfortable with it and not have to worry about what death will be like when it comes.

2. How has the creation of this artistic exhibit changed the artist? How did viewing it change you?

Walter has overcome the fear of death and dying. He is much more comfortable with death and uses it as an art. Viewing his photographs was interesting and eye opening but since I understand what death and dying is it did not change me about my thoughts about death.

3. Do you think this exhibit is art? Why/why not?

I definitely this exhibit is art because it is his own thoughts and feelings towards what he really thinks death is. It is his own form of expression and you definitely have to call it an art.

4. Which of the photo pairs do you find the most poignant? Explain.

I find the photos of Roswitha Pacholleck the most poignant. The first picture of her looks like she isn’t terminally ill. Her facial expression looks like as if she is annoyed by something. Her picture taken after her death looks a lot younger than the picture taken previously. She also looks very peaceful and her hair also looks like is it a lot neater and well groomed. It just catches my eyes how different she looks in the two pictures.

5. Which of the subjects' words did you find the most striking? Explain.

I think Roswitha Pacholleck’s words the most striking. She says that when she found out she had cancer that is when she really wanted to live. I just feel that maybe when you find out that you are dying you really start to find out the meaning of life. I think that is how it is with a lot of people. They hate life until they find out that they are dying.