Competition "The Victims of National Socialism – New Forms of Remembering and Remembrance"
Ebru Özseçen working title: The Last Memorial Kindergarten
General Idea
When we talk of a city, it has three histories; the history of its built environment,
the history of its people, and the history of their habits. To talk about the past,
i.e. the events in a city which should not be forgotten, a monument is inserted
into the built environment. I believe that memory is best triggered by a central work,
rather than by a network of memorials. The monument
should provide a direct visual experience that makes things appear
differently to the viewer. In this context observers need not be
immediately aware that the monument is in front of them. It is as
though you are looking at tissue through a microscope, only to realize
later that you were in fact looking at a body.
My proposal questions the concept of the conventional monument. The
viewer can be inside the monument without being forced into the
awareness of being in a monument. I want to work in a timeless
universal format. The children as users of the structure produce the
desired monumentality. The monument should not only have a surface and
should not only exist as a tourist site. It will provide individuals
with the opportunity to contemplate at the same time as it fullfils a
social function. Memory should not be quoted in a reliquary but should
be expressed as a site of social activity and tolerance.
One phase of the monument will be visible in the evening after the
children go home, and the walls are shifted upwards. The other phase
will be seen in the morning, when the walls are lowered, and the
children enter the kindergarten. When the children sleep, the work The
Last Memorial Kindergarten stands guard. The walls are there to
protect the treasure of life. The memory returns to the people. The
work marches upwards to meet the children.
A Kindergarten is a concept of the future. The monument finds its
place according to the needs of the children, the citizens of the
future. At night, the kindergarten is silent. When the kindergarten is
empty, the silence refers to the absence of the unborn descendants of
the victims of National Socialism.
Location: The monument The Last Memorial Kindergarten will be realized
at a still-to-be-built kindergarten in Munich (preferably downtown).
The monument will be done in cooperation with the architect and the
city authorities responsible for the kindergarten. For instance, we
could decide together which parts of the building will be covered at
night by flexible shifting walls that emerge from the ground. This
also depends on the topography of the land, the nature and position of
the emergency exits, etc. The walls will not shift upwards as long as
people are in the kindergarten. If there is no new building project in
the foreseeable future, the work can be realized at an existing
municipal kindergarten. I could also be involved in planning a
kindergarten project from the very beginning, together with a team of
architects.
Form: The form of the monument will be adapted to the topography of
the place. The work will have a different appearance during the day,
and at night. During the day, it will be a kindergarten, a place
representing life and the future. When children are present, the work
space will be warm in appearance and filled with life (from ca. 7 a.m.
to 5 p.m.). The sifting walls will be tucked away in the ground. When
the kindergarten closes, the work will rise from the ground. It will
consist (in its format) of steel plates which are shifted upwards to
inhibit access to the building and viewing of the building. At night,
the cold surface of the monument will be visible. Then, it will be a
place of silence (from ca. 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.).
Material: Steel, patinated bronze, or a combination of both. Aluminium
is also possible for the mat or aluminium cast, depending on the
architecture. Surfaces: The surface texture should be non reflective
in harmony with the architecture. Mechanics: Electro-hydraulic
propulsion. Light: The lighting concept for the kindergarten will be
adjusted where necessary. Information text: Could hang on the
building.
© 2008 Ebru Özseçen
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