kozek hörlonski

Memorial to the Victims of National Socialism in Baden

36 metal poles scattered across the square stick out of the ground at different angles. At first glance, these 'Counterpoles / Widerstäbe' seem to be arranged at random. In fact they follow a deliberate pattern: They all point towards an imaginary Star of David hanging over the square, a symbol of remembrance of all Jewish victims of National Socialism.
The poles are arranged in groups of three so that where each pole enters the ground, it marks the corner of an imagined triangle. The triangles are a reference to the coloured triangular badges used in the concentration camps to identify the different groups of prisoners. These triangles envisaged on the ground therefore remember those people who fell victim to Nazi tyranny for political, religious or other reasons.
Walking among the poles, the installation opens up constantly changing perspectives, forming a new and different image each time. As a whole the installation is conceived as an open field of thought which refuses fixed ideas or directions and instead encourages active dialogue.

architectural realization: ASAP HOOG PITRO SAMMER

photos: 1,2,3,5,6,7,8: Victor Jaschke, 4: Florian Sammer, 9: Peter Kozek