Third Contest of Photography dedicated to the memory of Mia Brachert

Aiming to preserve historical and cultural heritage of the region, the Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum is offering to photo artists, like Mia Brachert, to create a series of images of amber works. M.Brachert – wife of the famous German sculptor Hermann Brachert – left a mark in the history as photographer. It was she Alfred Rohde invited to create illustrations for his famous book "Amber. The German Material" (Berlin, 1937).

Amber. or to be exact amber items are very "complicated" objects to take photos of, that is why they can be means to reveal mastery of a photographer and his/her skills to create the further "photo image" of the object using modern technologies and to show additional expressive sides of the Amber Museum's showpiece.

In 2018 it has been decided to turn to the scientific reconstructions of items from the Königsberg collection in the Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum's collection. The Research and Methodological Council of the museum has chosen a flask with a lid (КМЯ 1 № 1448) made by masters of the amber workshop at the research and manufacturing association "Restorer" A.Vanin and V.Domrachyov in 1989 (natural amber, pressed amber, foil; carving, turning, engraving, colouring) based on photographs from the book by A.Rohde "Amber, The German Material". Dimensions of the flask: 15 х 6,5 х 6,5 сm. According to A.Rohde, the flasks were paired. One was in Königaberg (art collections of the Königsberg Castle), the other – in the Berlin Castle. Currently location of the originals is unknown.

The flask is made of the transparent and opaque amber, it is decorated with engraved images from the inner side: there are landscapes, shapes of people, lion masks, curves, elements of floral ornament. All this creates numerous light and colour effects which enrich the visual impression of the object, however it also complicates the work of photographer significantly.

During March and April 2018 the showpiece of the Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum is available to artists for photo shooting. Every Monday according to the schedule, which is made as result of the photographers' registration by the phone 460613 or personally, the museum gives the opportunity (only in the museum) to take photos. the showpiece handing-out, control of the shooting conditions and preservation of the showpiece are provided by workers of the Amber Museum.

In 2018 a photo exhibition of the Third Regional Contest of Photography will be located in the Regional Scientific Library's exhibition hall, it will be available for visiting in September – October 2018.