CAMERA OBSCURA

THE ELEPHANT IN THE DARKROOM

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

The primary purpose of Northern Exposure to investigate a series of incidents that took place in the Lithuanian cities of Šiauliai and Telšiai during the first few months of the German occupation, including the expropriation of several thousand photographic glass plate negatives and a considerable amount of technical equipment (cameras, lights, enlargers etc.) from both the private homes and the professional studios of a number of Lithuanian Jewish photographers. Further to these two central case studies, Northern Exposure also examines the individual fates of every Lithuanian Jewish photographer who was living and working in Šiauliai and Telšiai prior to the German invasion, including Geršonas and Liuba Zilbermanas, who it’s believed were forced to work for the Germans when they were incarcerated in the Šiauliai Ghetto between August 1941 and July 1944.