«The Displaced»

17. November - 19. November 2020, art installation, KZ memorial site Neuengamme

In the opera “the village”, an opera based on a true story the boy David repeats the sentence “Not here not now” like a mantra. David wishes himself into another place, another time. He did not choose the place and time of his birth. Neither did the 20 children who were murdered together with 4 nurses on 20th of April 1945 in the school of Bullenhuser Damm get to choose their time and place of birth.

As part of “the village” project- an opera spanning 5 months and an entire city- we have sent 65 suitcases on a journey through the city of Hamburg and the entire world. On the 15th of November these suitcases traveled all over the city before arriving on the grounds of the Bullenhuser Damm school.

From 17th of November until 19th of November 20 of these suitcases can be found on the grounds of the KZ memorial site Neuengamme, the place where doctors conducted medical experiments on the children. Neuengamme was the last stop of the children’s journey before their murder in Bullenhuser Damm.

With this art installation we want to remember the 20 children.

In the course of the coming months the suitcases will continue their journey and finally find their way back into the hometowns of the 20 children.