Stuttgart: New art projects unveiled forgotten memorial places

Stuttgart: New art projects unveiled forgotten memorial places

Since June 2021, the state capital Stuttgart has been running the coordination office Memory Culture in the cultural office, which has set itself the goal of working up and visible the "white spots of memory". In 2022 there was a successful kick-off event in which citizens, representatives from administration, associations and experts came together. The newly founded "Network Memory Stuttgart" is organized under the title "Hidden Places - Stuttgart New told!" A number of events from April to October to discover unknown sacrifices in public spaces and to enliven them artistically.

The series of events was launched by the coordination office Memorial Culture and the Department of Art in the public space of the cultural promotion of the cultural office. A jury of experts, artists, actors of the culture of remembrance and employees of the cultural office selected eight art and cultural projects, each funded with up to 100,000 euros. The projects range from multimedia clashes to lost connections to walk performances that deal with various memorials and historical events.

A sample project, "Space has become a crowded place", deals with transcultural dialogues between Namibia and Germany, with stories of techniques of the musical calling of the distant and the participation of large German companies in the genocide in Namibia 1904-1908. Another project, "Passing", leads the audience in a 30-minute walk performance through the Nordbahnhof memorial and conveys stories from Jewish residents who were deported during the Second World War.