American photographed concentration camps By Illand Pietersma The American photographer Corrie McCluskey has recently done photographic studies of several Eastern European concentration camps, as well as Alcatraz Island, the most notorious prison in America. With her photographs she tries to unveil the sinister past as well as equating that both innocent and guilty people lost their identity in these industrial incarceration facilities. Groningen, NL  “How can you make such a beautiful photographs of such horrible places?” That's a question frequently asked to Corrie McCluskey. She points to a somber photo of a corner in a washroom in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. "This picture really reflects the ironic feeling I experienced over here. Maybe at one time somebody stood in the same spot admiring this beautiful light for the last time. " Bright sunlight shines inside, the strong contrast blurs the bars. McCluskey wants to view with her own eyes the places others would rather not see.  “Many people find these places depressing. But by visiting these places where tragedies once occurred I try to get in touch with the past." In her youth McCluskey became very interested in the history of the Second World War after hearing the stories of holocaust survivors, and reading The Diary of Anne Frank. "How is it possible that the Nazis convinced so many people to follow them while doing their business in the concentration camps undisturbed?" In Theresienstadt and Auschwitz she saw endless rows of barracks, stretching to the horizon. "Those camps where simply industrial in nature. You can see and feel the inhumanity when you visit them. The washing rooms were very impressive, but were only built for propaganda. What was happening in those camps was just not known." Alcatraz In her own country McCluskey found a similar situation. Alcatraz was known to be a very notorious prison. It wasn't just hardcore criminals that made up the population but also petty criminals who made nuisances of themselves to the American government who where simply locked away in an industrial facility, where the prisoners completely lost there identity. It must have been hell. For the tiniest infraction, the prisoners landed in the isolation cells, in the miserable old part of the building. Inhumane things occurred in Alcatraz that were also kept secret for a long time. With her photo studies McCluskey wants to unveil that sinister past. "Nowadays people do not want to be confronted by these things, they find it too shocking. Whether it concerns the innocent or the guilty we must keep reminding ourselves. That is the contribution I hope I am making with my photography." Dagblad van het Noorden (NL), June 12, 2002