New Forms for Commemorating Nazi Occupation
Seminar on April 30 to Launch Exhibition on New Forms of Memorialization in Berlin, in Falstad, and in Rome
№ 132/2014 from Apr 23, 2014
A seminar devoted to new forms of memorialization in Berlin, Falstad (Norway), and Rome will be held on April 30, 2014, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Felleshus in the Nordic Embassies in Berlin. Entitled "Beyond Memorialisation. Design for Conflict Heritage," the English-language seminar will launch an exhibition with the same title. The exhibition, showing design proposals for monuments in Falstad and Rome that will draw attention to the Nazi occupation during World War II, will be on display at the Nordic Embassies from April 30 to May 10, 2014. The seminar and exhibition are being organized by Freie Universität Berlin’s Center for Digital Systems, the European research project "REcall," and the Nordic Embassies.
In many different locations in Europe, there are monuments to remind people of war and mass crimes – some of them were built soon after World War II and some more recently. During the recent past, these monuments have changed in form and function: from bronze and marble statues to interactive multimedia installations, from the expectation that heroic acts will be remembered forever to the idea that space is needed for reflection, discussion, and reconciliation.
The European research project "REcall: European Conflict Archaeological Landscape Reappropriation" addresses these changes. Funded through the EU Culture Program 2007–2013, researchers involved in the REcall project investigate new forms of remembrance and the possible role of contemporary monuments in dealing with difficult and painful history. Ten interdisciplinary working groups have created proposals for the design of historic places under Nazi occupation, in particular for the former SS prison camp Falstad in Norway and five locations of the Italian resistance in Rome.
The design proposals will be on display in the exhibition "Beyond Memoralisation." At the opening seminar experts from the fields of archaeology, architecture, anthropology, history, art, and the digital world will discuss memorialization going beyond the classical monuments. The debates in Berlin regarding the culture of monuments will be addressed along with current European developments.
Time and Location
- Seminar (in English): Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 3 to 8 p.m.; RSVP: info@nordicembassies.org
- Exhibition: April 30 to May 10, 2014, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Nordic Embassies – Felleshus, Rauchstraße 1, 10787 Berlin
Further Information
Email: recall-project@polimi.it