Assignment 3.2 Friedensengel

This and a few entries to follow will stretch the definition of the word building, however, I have decided to take some artistic license and be liberal in my definition of the word.  My copy of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary states:

"1. A thing which is built; a structure, an edifice; a permanent fixed thing built for occupation, as a house, school, factory, stable, church, etc."

I also refer to the 3 pictures illustrating the assignment, 2 of which are spaces defined by structures.  Thus I am going to interpret building to include pretty much any human construction.

In this section I have a few photographs of the Fridensengel, or Angle of Peace, a monument built to recall 25 years of peace following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71.  Nowadays it makes for a interesting place to hang out and enjoy the sun, as well as a very popular location for wedding photographers to bring the bride and groom for a few formal shots.  The monument is a complex on two levels, with a fountain at the base from which a series of Italian style staircases lead to a 38 meter high column on which is placed the gilded angle of peace.

During the summer there is even a small beer festival in the space around the fountain, although in Munich any large space will be occupied by a beer festival at some time or another!

Some details

As for being in use, sadly I am too late the photograph the beer festival, however, I did catch this couple sitting together admiring the view:

Earlier I mentioned use by wedding photographers, well just last weekend I caught a team doing a professional fashion shoot on the steps:

I thought this quite appropriate for my course.  However, as a monument, a key requirement is to be monumental: at night the whole complex is illuminated and although these images are rather postcardy, I had fun capturing them:

This is unlikely to be one of my chosen "buildings", however, each of these smaller exercises helps to build up ideas as to the final submission.