Review by Malcolm Green
Let's get this straight. This is not a memorial. It's a living, breathing, teaching exhibition that takes the visitor through the story of the Holocaust, mainly through the eyes of a group of survivors. By interspersing their filmed testimony within the artefacts, photographs and old footage, the Holocaust is brought vividly to life in a way that gives it new relevance. What's different about this exhibition to other Holocaust museums? Ultimately, it comes down to the detail and the design.
The balance of 'exhibition theatre' and baldly presented fact is perfect. The blend of reality and symbolism is just right, perhaps brilliantly encapsulated in a stunning white model of Auschwitz that fills an entire room.
In the end, this exhibition is about the living as well as the dead. It's about choice, and about no choice. It's about the descent of Man into the depths of evil, and about how the spirit can rise from darkness to light. It's about the past. But it is also, powerfully, about the present and - more importantly - the future.
Getting there Lambeth Road,London SE1 6HZ, UK. Tel: 020 7416 5320. Open daily 10.00am - 6.00pm Nearest Underground: Lambeth North, Waterloo or Elephant and Castle Admission: free
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