As is always the case, covering Photokina is akin to scaling a mountain – 11 separate halls, most of which house two huge floors of exhibition space, winding rather curiously around an outdoor atrium (that provides a welcome peek at the sun, the few times it appears this time of year). Cologne’s refurbished Messe is now a rather odd mix old and new – similar in result to the peculiar looking Soldier Field in Chicago. Sometimes combining “old” and “new” works and sometimes…
We’ll provide but a glimpse of what took place this past week as 1,579 suppliers from 46 countries displayed their latest imaging wares to what was an estimated 162,000 visitors from 153 countries (though we felt attendance seemed a tad lighter than in 2004). Always a feast for the eyes and ears however, Photokina 2006 was as grand as ever, right down to the final glass of Kolsch late Sunday afternoon.
