Cultural Monuments of German Democratic History
- Submitting institution
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Royal College of Art(The)
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- Knight1
- Type
- M - Exhibition
- Venue(s)
- Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
- Open access status
- Out of scope for open access requirements
- Month of first exhibition
- -
- Year of first exhibition
- 2018
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- The manuscript Cultural Monuments of GDR History was scheduled for publication in 1989 — but never was. It was thought to be lost in the upheavals of German reunification, but the text was later discovered in 2015. I have been photographing the described sites as they remain in the present day. There is an emerging scholarly interest in the importance of GDR architecture owing to the rapid decay and disappearance of the architectural testimonies of the time. The photographs make a valuable contribution to the discussion of architectural narratives and debates about the past destruction or the future conservation, preservation and use of architecture informed by political and social contexts.
The site-photographs were located by using the 1989 testimonies as a reference. The updated photographs critique the book as well as the context of the project. This is heightened by the Kunsthalle Rostock itself being featured as one of the thirteen sites –both the artwork and host of the exhibition. Investigations were operated from two perspectives: as an artist and historian. This dualistic approach is of importance to the project as it challenges the notion of (architectural) monuments as distancing and top-down.
The exhibition ‘Stadtbild HRO’ marked 800 years of the city of Rostock’s history with 30 contemporary and historical contributors, including artists from the GDR, in dialogue across the exhibition. Audiences benefitted from work included in the exhibition, with a number of people visiting the museum across the 2 months. This was supported by an accompanying exhibition catalogue. The work was presented at academic conferences in Berlin and Ljubljana alongside international contributors.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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