Nobel Prize Karplus to Eurofora on his CoE Photo Exhibition: Save the Memory of what may Disappear

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- In an Exclusive Interview to "Eurofora" at the CoE in advance of the official Inauguration by the Austrian President Heinz Fischer on the 60th Anniversary of Wien's accession to the PanEuropean CoE next week, Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry (2013) Martin Karplus, (who works both in Harvard and Strasbourg Universities, together with another Nobel Prize Winner, Jean-Marie Lehn), presenting his landmark Exhibition of Original Photos throughout Europe dating as early as from the Fifties, but with so crystal-clear figures and colors that it all looks as if it was just photographed only yesterday, stressed that the main intention of his famous hobby which has led him also at many other countries around the World, was to try to Save the image of things, landscapes and persons who risked to vanish for ever.  A profoundly Humanistic viewpoint.

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'- Eurofora" asked Karplus "what (he) likes most of all" among the exhibited Photos.

He immediately went straight on towards a Photo picturing 4 Kids behind Barbed Wire at London, back on 1954, (side by side with another, Differed Photo of a Huge Brittish Building almost entirely Demolished by the Bombings of Hitler's "Blitz-Krieg" during the 2nd World War, which remained still in that condiction even almost a Decade later, on 1954, as he showed uas later on).

- One of the photographed Kids "had an Expression like this (Smiling), while another Kid had another, different expression, like that, (Weeping), he observed, pointing at a real Kaleidoscope of 4 Kids' moods, (the Biggest almost Laughing, another kindly smiling, but a Third one, a Smaller Boy, Weaping, side by side with the Smallest of all, a Tiny Little Girl, with an astonishing expression : She was not only weeping, but looked also Bitterly Angry and almost revolted)..

By a coincidence, Karplus' move came shortly after CoE's Officials told "Eurofora", earlier Today, that the PanEuropean Organization for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, decided to prepare a Report and hold a Hearing of competent UN and other Officials, Next Week in Strasburg, on "Missing Unaccompanied Migrant Children", (whose Number has, reportedly, considerably grown in Europe, particularly after the recent Mass Asylum Seekers/Irregular Migrants "Tsunami" thrpugh Turkey, via EU Member Country Greece), because several MEPs suspect a Criminal "Trafficking".

 -According to the Nobel prize Scientist, the Photographed Kids : - "They just happened to be there, and when I took the Photo, I didn't Realize that it would be" so interesting. "Afterwards I said : look at that ! It's so Nice.  One (kid) looks like the "Harry Potter" of the Fifties"...

  - "I have No Idea" about the reasons of the kids various feelings. -"I didn't Talk to them. I just stoped and took the Photo. They didn't even know that I took the Picture",

Even if, at least one among the 4 Kids, might, perhaps, "look at him", as "Eurofora" observed, this could be, "a little bit", but wasn't the case for most of those kids, Karplus replied.

- "Because I had those Fabulous lens of  "Leica"Camera", (German, with a "90 degrees" face-away), "so  that I could stand looking at you, while taking a picture at 90 degrees" face away, "so that People wouldn't know that I was taking a picture of them", he explained, (pointing at a Technique similar to that which is sometmes used by the American Farm Security Administration", according to a supplementary leaflet).

"- I had a Post-Doc Fellowship from Oxford (Unibersity), and while I was there, .... I travelled all over Europe in the  Fifties", Karplus explained.

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 - But, - "Why Photography ?", "Eurofora" wen on to ask moreover Karplus.  Isn't that a little bit unexpected from a Natural Science Researcher, while it might be more logical from an Artist and/or a Social, Historic - Human Science intellectual ?

- "As a Scientist, I was always interested in the World that I am living in". Then, ." I was Young, ... I liked the Light of the Camera, but I hadn't done that before", he reacted.

 >>> In fact, "I just had  the Idea of Trying to Recall what, within years, would probably Not be there Anymore"., Martin Karplus stressed, with a profound smile.

=> - I.e., "I Wanted to Save what Existed, but Disappeared", he further explained.

"Eurofora" attempted to Speculate about the possible existence also of an "Epistimological" dimension : - Perhaps, since as a Natural Science researcher, you mainly study mostly Reproductible Phenomena, that you can reproduce any time you wish, almost identical, then, you might have felt the Nostalgy also of the World of Social, Historic or Human Sciences, where, on the Contrary, most Changes are irreversible, and, normaly, you can Never find again, in an Identical form, what has disappeared in a remote Past, we supposed.

But Karplus prefered to simply Stick to his "Save what existed, but disappeared", main line, (Comp. Supra), without deviating towards anything else.  And even from a Scientific point of view, Karplus' main Discovery awarded the Nobel Prize, concerned the use of Computers in order to "predict" when, where and how Chemical Reactions would form "New Molecules", as Nobel's official website reminds, i.e. in order to study somewhat irreversible changes even in the Natural Sciences' areas. So that it's probably the purely Humanistic point of view which would have been his main Motivation.

However, we couldn't avoid a strange feeling when we realized that the Persons' Images that Karplus wanted to "Save" before they Disappear, Dated here from 1953, which Coincides with our own Birthday Year, and that a Friendly CoE's Photographer was just standing in front of us Today, taking Photographs of "Eurofora" speaking with Martin Karplus...

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- "First" were "Esquimos", towards the North Pole, "when my Family gave me a Leica Camera", the Scientist told "Eurofora" smiling.

-  Afterwards, "Ex-Yugoslavia of the 1953-1954", from which he got a lot of pictures of simple People, landscapes, etc., as they were then, when "I was free to travel with my car all over Europe'.

+ "Then, I took pictures of my Family, for a period", he added, on the same line.
- "And ...during the last Ten Years I got pictures of India and/or China, etc., which are Changing very Rapidly", with "a lot of Skyscrapers", etc., Karplus observed.

F.ex., "in a 1960 picture from Kailin (NDLR : Phonetic Transcription), which "is pat of Hong-Kong", a Photo  pictured "Chinese Boats, and, in the BackGround, you could see a Small Village"... But  Today, "this Village iq.... Hong-Kong now. It's Skyscrapers !"

- However, "Unfortunately, the CoE decided that they want to exhibit here Only Photos of Europeé" alone, he regretted, (agreeing with "Eurofora" that a "Europe in the World" overall approach, would be much Better)...

=> Thus, Karplus pointed at another Photo, from London, "after the Blitz-Krieg" Bombings of 2nd WW, where a huge "Department Store" still remained in Ruins, with "all the rumble", still "on 1954", taken in a Tragic "White and Black", as he observed.

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"To Help People"
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After Graduating from Harvard College, Karplus got his PHD at Cal - Tech, but worked mainly as Professor at Harvard University, and more recently also as Director in Strasbourg's Institute for Supra-Molecular Chemistry, founded by Professor Lehn, (1987 Nobel prize).

He comes from a European Family with several important intellectuals and/or famous ancestors or parents, including, reportedly, the Philosopher Adorno, etc.

But, when "Eurofora" asked him what had chosen to study his only Son (added to 2 Daughters), Karplus shot back with a Surprise :

- Speaking shortly after we had, briefly but clearly, discussed with him the fact that our own University Background, instead of being focused on Philosophy or Physics added to Biology, otherwise Political Science and/or Sociology, according to our Initial preferences, in fact, finaly it turned towards Legal Studies, that we had tried to treat not only as a useful Technology, but also as a specific Science, (while, on the contrary, our Son chose Natural Sciences, and particularly Physics, teaching now also Chemistry, at the other side of the Globe), he unexpectedly fired exactly at the direction of that precise point :

- My Son chose to Study "Law", here, "in Strasbourg", the American 2013 Nobel Prize for Chemistry told us in reply. "Now he works at New York".

- "Law ? Why Law ?", "Eurofora", sincerely astonished, went on to ask Karplus.

- "The reason for which he studied Law, is In order to Help People !", he proudly replied, defending his Son's personal choice, with a smile.

"Eurofora", obviously, was Glad to find that we had, at least, one ...inversed (or "a contrario") symetric affinity or relation with a prestigious Nobel prize winner : Karplus had studied Natural Sciences, while his only Son had chosen Law, and we had studied Law, while our only Son has chosen Natural Sciences !

But, that's not enough in orderto get a Nobel...  Is it ?

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Martin Karplus' Exhibition is sponsored by Austria and CoE, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary since the Accession of Wien to the CoE, back on "April 1956", as a Young Austrian Diplomat kindly reminded to "Eurofora", since he was "Born in Austria", (as he proudly revendicated Today himself), from which his Family had been obliged to emigrate in Switzerland, France, and finaly at the USA, immediately after the "Anschluss" by Hitler's NAZI regime.

But a 1953 dated Photograp, after the End of the 2nd World War and while even the "Cold War" was approaching at its end, shows a Ship with a Young Girl heading to Europe, with the Name "Liberty" at the Forefront :

- "This was, indeed, the Name of that Ship", modestly replied on 2016 Karplus to an "Eurofora" Question, keeping always a sober profile, despite the often Spectacular appearance of his Photos...

With crystal-clear outlines and vivid, natural Colors, Karplus' Photographs from the Fifties look as if they were taken just Yesterday. According to an Experienced CoE's Photographer, this would be due to the Excellent performance of the "Leica" Camera, which has a History of "2 Centuries" in Germany. "Kodachrome Film" added "a Vibrant Life intro the scenes", concludes an official presenation of this landmark Exhibition which pictures, indeed, a Human and Social History of Europe, trying to Save the Memory of an era which has gone since long, while also giving an opportunity to realize the dimension of what has Changed in our "Modern" European Times.