Shaping the Past – Perspectives Historical memory is constantly shaped and reshaped by new interpretations of the past. Explore unique perspectives, nuanced arguments, and an examination of current events by scholars, activists, and the Monument Lab Fellows. Photo (detail): © TSK/TLT/Jacob Schröter 76th Anniversary of the Liberation of Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp “All of this is our history.” (12 April 2021) 11 April 2021 marked the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. To remember the horrors of National Socialist rule, the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, is showing the “Disappearing Wall” on Theaterplatz in Weimar. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier commemorated the victims. © Cheyenne Conception Cheyenne Concepcion Edge Conditions Cheyenne Concepcion describes her project concerning the border constructions between U.S. and Mexico as looking outwards, towards the broader spatial conditions negotiated by borders. © Studio Ulf Aminde 2019 Anti-racist memorial in Cologne Radical Listening Future places of remembrance should be based on the wishes of those affected. To do this, we need flexible designs that change as people change, as Ulf Aminde describes. Photo by Iridiscent on Wikimedia Commons, licensed via CC BY-SA 3.0 Notes on memory works in three parts Dreaming of Utopias in Architecture Ada Pinkston reflects on past, present and future of memory works in the U.S. and places her project LandMarked in this context. © Alisha Wormsley Text that became a movement There Are Black People in the Future Alisha Wormsley’s There are Black People in the Future is inspired by afro-futurist artists and writers who highlight the need for Black people to claim their place. Photo: © Javier Guillen Joel Garcia Tethers to Invisible Monuments Joel Garcia writes about his politization in East LA during the ’90s and how he created a platform for the Indigenous based on his experiences. Photo (detail): Chris Chapa Shaping the Past Wavering Monuments How do monuments shape the commemorative culture? How can they become places of participation? The project “Shaping the Past” of the Goethe-Institut, the Monument Lab and the Federal Agency for Civic Education brings together initiatives from North America and Germany. © Free Egunfemi Bangura Free Egunfemi Bangura The Commemorative Justice Movement Monument Lab Fellow Free Egunfemi Bangura describes the background, the current impact and the future of the Commemorative Justice movement she created. Photo (detail): Mara Brandl © picture alliance / imageBROKER On the Mbembe Affair The Specters of Comparison Achille Mbembe has been accused of anti-Semitism. The ensuing debate raises fundamental questions about the culture of memory and freedom of expression. An article by Michael Rothberg. Photo: Cheyenne Concepcion, 2019 The changing nature of monuments The Berlin Wall’s Second Act Cheyenne Concepcion considers her time in Berlin, especially the ways the formerly divided city offers a site to engage borders and monumentality back in the U.S. while inquiring about the (after)lives of border walls as sites to reckon with legacies of division. © Johanna Benz 2019 Comparing narratives Monumental Violence, from Germany to the United States Joel Garcia reflects on his time in Berlin, especially around the ways the formerly divided city offered a site to engage borders and monumentality in the U.S., and considers narratives of freedom and manifestations of white supremacy. Photo: Monument Lab Sharing experiences Monument Lab in Berlin Over the summer, we traveled to Berlin with members of Monument Lab's 2019 Fellows cohort for a research trip, meeting with memory workers, cultural organizers, and public space advocates, touring both prominent and grassroots sites of memory. Return to Shaping the Past Top
