Alexander Reichstein: The Nameless Family Album

The "Nameless Family Album" installation consists of over 60 artworks in which the characters from old photos are traced with a thin line. These drawings are large and float in space with no plane or base. The artworks are hung leaving space for visitors to walk between them. The tracing line glows blue, allowing the observer to see through the image. The facial features of the characters are missing, leaving merely an outline, the oval of a face. The image is devoid of unnecessary details, allowing everyone to recall their own long-gone relatives. Visitors appear to be within a photo album, surrounded by personages from the past. 

The artworks are welded from 3-4 mm thick steel wire. Special primer prevents the steel from corroding and a unique coating makes the wire glow in ultraviolet light. The aural background made by Petri Laakso adds to the ambience. The artworks are quite robust and may be hung inside or outside, in a park, an old city quarter, or museum hall. The space should be very dark and at least 3,5 metres in height. Artworks should be hung on parallel wires. In total, the work consists of 12-16 layers of transparent pictures hanging from different heights.