The weight of time

The situation calls to - in a metaphorical as well as in a literal sense - give space to the mostly nameless victims. The design of a memorial functions as a space for remembrance, as a place that respects and holds jewish burial customs, but also as a space to gather and present information about the crime, the victims, the survivors and their families. A second building structure is meant to translate the memories, information and emotions the memorial evokes into artistic productivity for a future, in which the inhumanity of such a crime can never again occur unnoticed.

Time is in a trias: past, present and future. The past is manifested in the ruins of the Kreuzstadl. The designs of the “Erinnerungsgitter“, as a memorial for the present and the „Zeitgehöft“, as an artistic production site for the future, complete the ensemble of times. Both structures are positioned across the village´s main road, on a part of the ground that has already been searched for the grave. As a gesture of respect for the ground the "Erinnerungsgitter" is raised on columns. One column for each victim, forms a gap inside. There is no facade, but an exposed, honest construction of stacked wooden bars. There is no thermal separation, the place constantly penetrates the room. The oak wood is stained dark, which will wash out over time, while the wood darkens in its natural aging process. The jewish burial rites are reflected in the choice of materials. Just as the head of the dead is placed in simple wooden coffins on some earth from Jerusalem, this should also be enclosed in the concrete base. The significance of the material is emphasised by walking over a bridge, leaving the ground untouched. White cloths, analogous to the traditional white shroud, bear the names and biographies of the victims and provide information about the massacre. The memorial grid breathes light through its joints and supports a space in which one is reminded of its creation and the reason for it every day by its honest shape. The „Zeitgehöft“ symbolises the utopian space where history does not repeat itself, where the act of remembering the historical distortions becomes artistically productive. The stacking of wooden beams of the "Erinnerungsgitter" is condensed into a knitted structure. The artists studios stretch along the four sides of the courtyard and are orientated towards it.