About the Project
Photographer Evvy Eisen wanted to portray the Holocaust on a human level to communicate its personal as well as historical significance. She took portraits of over 200 Holocaust Survivors in the United States and Europe, and collected their personal testimonies.
She created the Multiply by Six Million Project to unify the three major facets of her work - Survivor Testimonies, Exhibit and Short Film - and make them accessible for viewing and research. Seeing Survivor's portraits and reading their moving testimonies presents them as individuals with unique thoughts and experiences instead of as nameless members of a massive group.
Eisen's work has been exhibited in the US and Europe. It is in the permanent collections of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris. The Multiply by Six Million exhibit was presented with Michael Kenna's Impossible to Forget: The Nazi Camps Fifty Years After.
She created the Multiply by Six Million Project to unify the three sections of her work - Survivor Testimonies, Short Film and Exhibit.
Photographer's statement
I met with each survivor several times to get to know them and learn about their life before, during and after the war. I photographed them in their home or a place they chose encouraging them to include objects of personal significance in their portrait. Each person looked into the lens of my camera so that their eyes communicate directly with the photo’s viewer. I gave each Survivor a copy of their portrait.
I used black and white film, a medium format camera and natural light. I did all darkroom work, creating individual, fine art, silver gelatin prints. The photographs were not digitally manipulated in any way.
I did not accept compensation for my work or reimbursement for any of my expenses. I received limited grant support to pay those worked on preparation of exhibits and creation of the film.
