Below Forest
Projection Still Below Forest (2016)
2015
Digital projection
20:48 minutes
Edition of 5, 1 AP
Below Forest is located 130 km northwest of Berlin. Shortly before the Red Army approached the concentration camp Sachsenhausen and its sub-camps in 1945, 33,000 prisoners were sent on the so-called death marches. They had to march 20-40 km a day without any food or water. Who was not able to walk anymore or tried to steal food or water was shot dead. Between April 23-29, 1945, more than 16,000 prisoners camped in Below Forest before they were freed by the Allies. The video references the importance of the forest in German culture. In particular during the Third Reich the forest was equated with harmony and therefore is in stark contrast to the way the forest is presented in the video and probably was experienced by the prisoners.
Oppressive Architecture | Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) Raleigh, NC, USA | 2016