ART as one way to experience a “LIVING MEMORIAL” ?

Artwork by Alexis Freidenberg (2015)

In 2015/2016, the French school Collège Charles Péguy worked on the history of the concentration camp and ghetto in Terezín (located in today’s Czech Republic; in German: Theresienstadt). At the end of the school year, the class travelled to Terezín where Roman Kroke led an art-workshop with them at the historic site. A special thanks goes to their teacher Claire Podetti (project coordinator) and the direction of the Terezín Memorial which trusted the group to work not only at but – to a certain extent – with the site. Loris’ artwork illustrates this approach. It is worth mentioning that the computer keys originate from a keyboard formerly used by the pedagogic department of the memorial. The establishment of the Theresienstadt camp-ghetto is a direct result of the discussions led by the Nazi at the Wannsee conference in January 1942.

Documentary movie of the entire project (in French).

 



“The Weavers” – artwork by Soizic Salaün (2017)

In 2016/2017, the French school Collège Charles Péguy participated in the international project “Convoi 77” which invited high schools students to reconstitute biographies of Jews deported by the last big convoy from Drancy to Auschwitz on 31 July 1944 (project coordinator: Claire Podetti). The class devoted their research to the Polish Jew Jankiel Fensterszab (1898-1944).

During the year, the students realized several art-workshops with Roman Kroke in Belleville (France) and Berlin (Germany); at places where Jankiel had lived and worked as a custom tailor.

Artwork presentation by a participant :


Sources: The two video extracts are taken from documentary movies realized by Victor Thomas (subtitled by André Bossuroy)