My World: "And then the crowd was gone."

[Jerome Marot]

Second series.

Oktoberfest is a 16–18 day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and known as the Largest Volksfest (People's Fair) in the World. (Wikipedia)

The festival lasts for 2 weeks. Each year, the massive tents are built on the grounds and disassembled after the festival. The fancy fair attractions take only a few days to be installed or taken away (they are built to be collapsible), but the old tents take more than a month either in or out.

The grounds are called "Theresienwiese", which would translate as "The meadows of Therese". It is very important to the inhabitants of Munich that they keep the character of "meadows", that is that the surface is devoid of constructions for the major part of the year.

There are usually sunny days in october (after the festival), and seeing the empty tents lit by sunset, I feel like the end of the world as come. In some respect, it is the end of a world, one which is rebuilt anew every year.

​

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

Have to be honest, I'd take this scene over the other crazily busy scenes which preceded it any day. I hate a crowd!

 

[Paul Abbott]

This is good, I look forward to seeing your other images of the crowds aftermath.

 

[Jerome Marot]

Thank you for your comments. So crowdless it will be. This is the inside of a tent:

​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Have to be honest, I'd take this scene over the other crazily busy scenes which preceded it any day. I hate a crowd!

Ben,

Your own pictures of the old city, although pretty empty, have crowds, but they are from the imagination and history. Real live crowds can be frightening as one cannot react with them on an even basis. Rather one has to sense the pulse, find a stream and go with it.

Still, the photographs of crowds Marot has shown are engaging. How can one greet a great man and not show the crowds?

Asher

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

I've never liked crowds to be honest.

 

[Jerome Marot]

If you don't like crowds, do not go to the Oktoberfest. Or rather: do not go there when it is running.

​

 

[Jerome Marot]

​

 

[Jerome Marot]

​

 

[Jerome Marot]

​

 

[Jerome Marot]

​

Germany is somewhat obsessed about recycling and sorts garbage into different categories. It is not uncommon for people to have 4 or 5 different bins at home (e.g.: "compost", "paper", "glass", plastic", "metal", etc...). You also have somewhat arcane categories (like corks, those can be recycled separately) and of course special places to bring dangerous goods (which, by law, include batteries, power-saving lamps, paints, etc...). "Restmühl" is what is so bad that it cannot be sorted into a useful category.

 

[Jerome Marot]

Champagne!​

 

[Jerome Marot]

​

 

[Jerome Marot]

Empty tent, the crowds are gone.

​

I am slowly starting to wonder whether anyone still watches this tread, or the other ones about the artists house. Should I continue? Should I stop?

 

[Jerome Marot]

​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Jerome,

This is extraordinary!

​

What strikes me is the sense of community, the poses and gestures of the derelictions!

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

Thank you Asher. You are probably the person who posts the most comment on this site.
Actually, there are not really "derelict". Everything is dismantled, but large parts of it will be reused next year.

Another picture:

​

 

[Jerome Marot]

And how could I end this series without saying "Prosit!"?

Prosit!​

This is the end of the second part and the end of the whole series.