The Holocaust Memorial (also known as the "Nameless Library"), the central memorial for the 65.000 Austrian victims of the Holocaust, is located on Judenplatz and was unveiled in October 2000. The outside surfaces of the memorial, designed by British artist Rachel Whiteread, are cast library shelves turned inside out. The spines of the books are facing inwards and are not visible, therefore the titles of the volumes are unknown and the content of the books remains unrevealed. The shelves appear to hold endless copies of the same edition, which stand for the vast number of the victims, as well as the concept of Jews as "People of the Book". As a work of art, the memorial was not intendend to be beautiful and forms a contrast to the beautiful architecture nearby.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Holocaust Memorial
The Holocaust Memorial (also known as the "Nameless Library"), the central memorial for the 65.000 Austrian victims of the Holocaust, is located on Judenplatz and was unveiled in October 2000. The outside surfaces of the memorial, designed by British artist Rachel Whiteread, are cast library shelves turned inside out. The spines of the books are facing inwards and are not visible, therefore the titles of the volumes are unknown and the content of the books remains unrevealed. The shelves appear to hold endless copies of the same edition, which stand for the vast number of the victims, as well as the concept of Jews as "People of the Book". As a work of art, the memorial was not intendend to be beautiful and forms a contrast to the beautiful architecture nearby.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A solemn reminder.
ReplyDeleteAny holocaust memorial will make you think.
ReplyDelete