Empathetic Memorials: The Other Designs for the Berlin Holocaust Memorial

270 Pages·2020·3.946 MB·English

by  Mark Callaghan

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
MEMORY STUDIES
Empathetic Memorials
The Other Designs
for the Berlin
Holocaust Memorial
Mark Callaghan
Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies
Series Editors
Andrew Hoskins
University of Glasgow
Glasgow, UK
John Sutton
Department of Cognitive Science
Macquarie University
Macquarie, Australia
The nascent field of Memory Studies emerges from contemporary trends
that include a shift from concern with historical knowledge of events to
that of memory, from ‘what we know’ to ‘how we remember it’; changes
in generational memory; the rapid advance of technologies of memory;
panics over declining powers of memory, which mirror our fascination
with the possibilities of memory enhancement; and the development of
trauma narratives in reshaping the past. These factors have contributed to
an intensification of public discourses on our past over the last thirty years.
Technological, political, interpersonal, social and cultural shifts affect
what, how and why people and societies remember and forget. This
groundbreaking new series tackles questions such as: What is ‘memory’
under these conditions? What are its prospects, and also the prospects for
its interdisciplinary and systematic study? What are the conceptual,
theoretical and methodological tools for its investigation and illumination?
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14682
Mark Callaghan
Empathetic Memorials
The Other Designs for the Berlin Holocaust
Memorial
Mark Callaghan
Birkbeck College, University of London
London, UK
Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies
ISBN 978-3-030-50931-6 ISBN 978-3-030-50932-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50932-3
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For Nellie Callaghan. Thank you for your love, support and remarkable
patience. You will remember our first experience of Berlin in 2010, the
difficulties we faced that year and how important it was to be away for a
few days. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe formed part of
our visit. It was during that very challenging autumn that I conceived of
the idea that eventually led to this book—a book that would not have been
possible without you.
C B h
hronology of the erlin oloCaust
M C
eMorial oMpetition
In 1988, television journalist Lea Rosh and historian Eberhard Jäckel
began a campaign for a German national memorial to the 6 million Jews
murdered during the Second World War. By the spring of 1989, the cam-
paign had gained the support of prominent Germans such as the Mayor of
Berlin, Walter Momper, and Senator of Culture, Anke Martiny.1 Donations
from prominent figures, such as Willy Brandt, Christa Wolf, and Walter
Jens, were also forthcoming, along with contributions from school coun-
cils, local unions, and also ‘The covenant of forced sterilization and eutha-
nasia victims’. Petitions containing thousands of signatures in support of a
memorial were also collected.2
By 1992, an estimated DM 15 million had been amassed, half of which
was publicly funded and the other half provided by private donors.3 Corporate
sponsorship was also prevalent with notable contributors being Marcus
Bierich of the Robert Bosch GmbH and Daimler CEO Edzard Reuter.4
By 1994, Rosh and Jäckel had also gained enough support in the
Bundestag that a competition was announced in Germany’s national press.
A field of international artists and architects submitted 528 proposals. All
designers were aware of the memorial’s pre-designated site, 19,000 square
metres of land close to the Brandenburg Gate. Competing artists and
architects were also aware of the memorial’s pre-designated title, The
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
The jury, which was announced in April 1994, selected two designs: the
model by Christine Jackob-Marks, and the proposal by Simon Ungers. In
June 1995, it was announced that the Jackob-Marks design was the more
feasible of the two finalists, primarily for budgetary reasons. Some aspects
vii
viii CHRONOLOGY OF THE BERLIN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL COMPETITION
of the Jackob-Marks design did, however, concern some of the German
Jewish community. Its gargantuan concrete plate, which would have been
inscribed with the names of all known victims, was designed to be raised
at one end, allowing for the mass of victim’s names to be seen by visitors.
This feature of the design was criticised for alluding to a rising tomb, an
unintended Christian iconography that contravened the memorial’s Jewish
associations.5 This led to the unsuccessful end of the competition, leading
to a two-year hiatus that included the 1996 colloquia where representa-
tives of all German political parties met to discuss how the suspended
memorial project could be revived.
In 1997, a more limited competition was initiated, with nineteen artists
and architects invited to submit designs. The revived scheme had a new
structure of decision-makers, the five-member Findungskommission
chaired by James Young, who recommended the design, American archi-
tects Peter Eisenman and Richard Serra, whose experiential model con-
sisted of 4000 concrete stelae.
On 25 June 1999, the government approved of Lea Rosh’s proposal to
assign the final decision for selecting a memorial to the Bundestag. Out of
559 MPs, 439 voted in favour of the motion to build Eisenman’s design,6
though the building of the proposal would be contingent on the inclusion
of an information centre, petitioned by Federal Cultural Representative
(Bundeskulturbeauftragter), Michael Naumann, who argued that the
abstract design was in need of contextualisation.
On 10 May 2005, Eisenman’s modified design, complete with under-
ground information centre and a reduced number of stelae, was unveiled.
notes
1. Simone Mangos, A Monumental Mockery: The Construction of the National
Holocaust Memorial, (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press,
2007), p. 20.
2. Interview with Günter Schlusche. Conducted by Mark Callaghan.
10.11.2012.
3. The final cost of the memorial, complete with Information Centre, would
total an estimated 25 million euros. www.stiftung-denkmal.de/en.html.
Accessed 17.10.2011.
4. Interview with Günter Schlusche. Conducted by Mark Callaghan.
10.11.2012.
5. Bill Niven, Germans as Victims: Remembering the Past in Contemporary
Germany (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), p. 166.
6. Peter Carrier, Holocaust Monuments and National Memory in France and
Germany since 1989, (New York, Oxford: Berghahn, 2005), p. 145.
a
CknowledgeMents
There was no epiphany for my interest in the representation of atrocities
and memorialisation. Instead, this attraction emerged through a period of
study where I became more conversant with a range of media concerning
artists’ portrayals of trauma. This interest was enhanced by a developing
appreciation of theoretical concepts that complement an understanding
of said depictions and the ambition of adding to the discourse, which I
hope to have achieved with the publication of this book. Further to these
academic interests, I have often been drawn to memorialisation of events
and people, the stylistic changes within this medium, and the possible
effects that mnemonic forms can have on viewers, including the illusion
of permanence as an instinctive response to mortality, and, in relation to
this monograph, empathetic identification with the person being
commemorated.
The advice and support of Dr Silke Arnold-de Simine and Dr Gabriel
Koureas has been greatly appreciated throughout my work on this book.
I am thankful for their time, patience, and intelligent guidance.
I am also grateful to Dr Günter Schlusche who offered important
details concerning sources of primary information and provided significant
insights into his experiences and knowledge of the Berlin competitions.
My thanks also to all the artists and architects who gave their time for
interviews, this being Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock, Richard Gruber,
Karol Broniatowski, Jochen Gerz, Horst Hoheisel, Jochen Heufelder,
Peter Eisenman, and, on behalf of Simon Ungers, his sister Sophia Ungers,
who provided information for her late brother’s submission. I hope to
have done justice to these designs and expanded upon the work of these
ix
x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
artists through critical analysis. Former Cultural Commissioner, Professor
Michael Naumann, and Findungskommission Chair, Professor James
Young, should also be acknowledged for their co-operation and willingness
to be interviewed.
All interviewees were generous with their time and played an essential
role in developing an understanding of their concepts, the thoughts
behind their respective submissions, and the ways in which the competition
and its surrounding issues developed. Stefanie Endlich deserves a special
thank you for her interview and also for providing images of several designs
for both competitions. Sarah Friedrich of the Memorial Foundation
should be acknowledged for her efforts in obtaining quality images of the
Information Centre and its exhibits.
There are many scholars whose work has been of value to my thinking,
informing this book in authoritative and indirect ways. To name but some,
appreciation is due to Aleida Assmann, Amy Coplan, Dominick LaCapra,
James Young, Bill Niven, Marianne Hirsch, Michael Rothberg, Alison
Landsberg, Jon Bird, Doreen Massey, Ann Kaplan, Dora Apel, and
Theodor Adorno.
My thanks to the reviewers at Palgrave Macmillan, and the sound advice
of Commissioning Editor Mala Sanghera-Warren and Editorial Assistant
Bryony Burns. Their assistance in the process of publication is greatly
appreciated.
And finally, I express much gratitude to Lisa Holland, Ryan Holland,
and Naya Tsatsou for their love and pragmatism, and many thanks also to
Barry Callaghan, Paul Holland, and Amy Holland for their love and for
knowing when not to ask how the book was progressing. My appreciation
includes all other close family and friends for their encouragement and
interest, and John O’Brien for keeping my spirits up.