Noah Beil: Mountain as Monument

Noah Beil: Mountain as Monument

Through his artistic practice, photographer Noah Beil interprets history by examining the landscape. Beil seeks to understand the motivations of city planners, landscape architects, politicians, and civil engineers by studying the relationship between landforms, vegetation, and structures that result from their aims to rehabilitate damaged lands. His artwork explores how human reshaping and re-purposing of the landscape affect human behavior and emotion.

Beil's interest started when he learned about Teufelsberg, an artificial hill in Berlin, Germany, that is one of the highest points in the city. It was constructed over an unfinished military academy and sits above a decaying Cold-War era radar facility. When Beil learned that Teufelsberg was one of many hills in Berlin composed of re-purposed building material and debris from World War II, he returned to Berlin on frequent occasions for further photographic documentation.

He discovered that an enormous amount of debris was cleared during the post-World War II rebuilding efforts in Berlin. Intact bricks were recovered for reuse, while other debris materials were transported to collection areas and piled into hills, known in Germany as Schuttberg or trümmerberg.

Today, these debris hills are difficult to distinguish from naturally occurring hills and mountains; some are carefully landscaped into parks with manicured lawns and fields with dense vegetation. Mountain As Monument provides an opportunity to study how humans can skillfully and beautifully reshape and re-purpose the landscape, as well as witness nature's awe-inspiring powers of regeneration.

Photography is not permitted.
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