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Monuments of the Future?© Goethe-Institut e.V.

Monuments of the Future?

In a public landscape haunted by visible and invisible memories, can Art and Design transform monuments into vessels that uncover what was previously unspoken? How can we answer the call for sites of multi-directional memory? And how can we find solutions that evolve as society changes over time?

Monumental Bag© Goethe-Institut

Monumental Bag

Current debates about memorial culture in urban space call for new educational formats that encourage young people to engage with their immediate surroundings. In this context the Goethe-Institut Washington created the ‘Monumental Bag.’ 
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About the Event

On Friday, July 15, 2022, the Goethe-Institut and Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb invited international artists, historians, practitioners, and a growing transatlantic coalition of changemakers from the US, Canada, and Germany to imagine what is in store for the future of memory spaces. This daylong featured a mix of discussions, panels, film screenings, and opportunities for exchange that highlighted diverse voices and design practices in the memory field.  

Monuments of the Future? is a project by the Goethe-Institut, in partnership with the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, Harvard University's History Design Studio, and Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), and with financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The public share-out on July 15 is in cooperation with the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb. This event will also feature speakers from FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum, Zitadelle Berlin, and Weißensee Academy of Art.


Impressions

  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf
  • “Monuments of the Future” in Berlin Photo: Oliver Weisskopf

Program

Prelude: A walking tour and conversation with Mischa Kuball & Christian Nagel. From Gallery Nagel/Draxler to the Monument for Historical Change

Opening remarks and introduction to Monuments of the Future? with Dori Tunstall and Lena Jöhnk


Discussion Sessions
Session 1: Making Erased Histories Visible with R. Stein Wexler 
Session 2: Memorializing Protest with Natalie Bayer, FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum  
Session 3: What to Do with Removed Monuments with Urte Evert, Zitadelle Berlin 

Screening of the short film Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery with introduction by Vincent Brown
https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/film
Panel discussion: An Honest Talk on Memory Culture 
Remembrance work begins when a piece of history that has been successfully suppressed is uncovered. In doing this work, the aim is not merely to erect monuments or to build static memorial sites. One must engage with social resistance and debates and prepare to answer with complex solutions. What constraints exist when negotiating a multidirectional culture of remembrance? And can approaches be developed from these techniques to create monuments of the future?  

Featuring Michael Rothberg, Dori Tunstall, and Sarah Moses, moderated by Shoshana Liessmann  

Throughout the day, guests also had the opportunity to hear from talented student memory workers, who use art, design, and history to inspire the next generation to change the memory landscape. 

Monuments of the future?© Goethe-Institut e.V.

Short bios of the participants


Project Partners

Monuments of the Future? is a project by the Goethe-Institut, in partnership with the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, Harvard University's History Design Studio, and Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), with financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

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