Eröffnung: 18.11.2022, 17:00 – 21:00
Ausstellung: 19.11 – 09.12.2022, Mi – Sa 12:00 – 18:00
Mehrkanal Videoinstallation mit 12 Monitoren
Ort: Markgrafenstraße 86, 10969 Berlin

Projekt auf der Website von Maria Vedder

https://www.mariavedder.de/video/2022/thingstaetten/
Projekt auf der Website von Maria Vedder

Die künstlerische Dokumentation der nationalsozialistischen THINGSTÄTTEN in Berlin, Brandenburg und Sachsen-Anhalt wurde durch das Förderprogramm NEUSTART Kultur ermöglicht.

In ganz Europa nehmen die Stimmen für rechtsradikale Positionen zu. Nach der unermesslichen Katastrophe, die die Nationalsozialisten im Zweiten Weltkrieg über die Welt gebracht haben, ist diese Faszination schwer zu begreifen. In Russland ist sie besonders erschreckend aktuell. Um mehr zu verstehen, hat Maria Vedder am Beispiel der nationalsozialistischen THINGSTÄTTEN einen Aspekt der damaligen Propaganda untersucht: die Orte der Verführung. In den 1930er Jahren bauten die Nationalsozialisten in ganz Deutschland Freilichtbühnen. 400 waren geplant, fertiggestellt wurden etwa 60. Diese sogenannten Thingstätten wurden für Propagandaveranstaltungen und Aufmärsche genutzt. Bei diesen Freilichtaufführungen sollten Emotionen freigesetzt werden, die Menschen sollten ihre Zugehörigkeit zur Volksgemeinschaft spüren. Die Kundgebungen sollten den Führerkult festigen, die Menschen auf einen Krieg einstimmen, den es sich lohnen würde, für das Vaterland zu führen. Maria Vedder zeichnet in ihrer Installation die bisher wenig bekannte Geschichte der Thingplätze nach.

Für die Ausstellung hat Maria Vedder 12 Thingstätten in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Berlin, Sachsen-Anhalt und Brandenburg gefilmt. Ihr Ziel ist es, alle der rund 40 Thingstätten in Deutschland zu dokumentieren. Von der Mehrzahl der Thingstätten aus dieser Zeit ist bekannt, wo sie sich befinden. Einige sind berühmt, wie die Berliner Waldbühne, die auf Hitlers Befehl für die Olympischen Spiele 1936 auf dem Olympiagelände errichtet wurde. Oder das Kalkbergstadion in Bad Segeberg, in dem seit 1952 jährlich die Karl-May-Spiele stattfinden. Viele ehemalige Thingstätten werden heute noch für Konzerte und Theateraufführungen genutzt. Andere sind zugewachsen, zerstört oder verschwunden.
Mit ihrer filmischen Spurensuche spricht Maria Vedder auch tiefere Schichten der Vergangenheit an. Die Bilder lenken die Aufmerksamkeit auf die uralte germanische Thing-Tradition, die sich die Nationalsozialisten aneigneten und für ihre Zwecke entstellten. Ein Thingplatz war ursprünglich ein Ort, an dem politische Beratungen stattfanden und Recht gesprochen wurde. Thing oder Ding war die Bezeichnung für Volksversammlungen und Gerichtsverhandlungen unter freiem Himmel.

Wichtig: Die Ausstellung umfasst zwei weitere Veranstaltungen, die nicht in unserer Galerie stattfinden werden. Diese sind:

Künstlergespräch: 15.11.22, 19:00, im Atelier von Maria Vedder, mit Julia Rosenbaum/Studio Visits
Screening: 14.12.22, 19:30, Raum für drastische Maßnahmen, Oderstr. 3, 10247 Berlin-Friedrichshain

Zur Website von Jewgeni Roppel

Zum Thingstätten Index

Zur Essay von Gerwin Strobl Die „Volksgemeinschaft“ unter freiem Himmel: Thing(spiel)- bewegung und Thingstätten

Thingsstätten were open-air arenas built by the Nazi Party in Germany between 1933 and 1936 to spread the Thing movement of the Nazi Party. The Thing movement called for the people to recognize their Germanic roots and traditions. Plays were staged in these arenas to awaken in the people the notion of Fatherland and the German Folk. These arenas were later also used for political demonstrations for the propaganda of the Nazi Party. According to Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in the Third Reich, these arenas were supposed to be the parliaments of their times—places where people could gather and discuss. The construction of Thingsstätten led to the dramatic staging of the Führer cult.

Through this fictional photographic reconstruction, the artist has tried to imagine the commissioning of a study by the Ministry of Propaganda of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers’ Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party) for the creation of a new kind of propaganda instrument. These documents, which could have been written by social scientists based on surveys and psychological tests, are in the nature of the scientific study and could have formed the first drafts of the plans for Thingsstätten. The pages which seem archived, lost or damaged, and rescued or rediscovered, reveal the decisions made regarding the design of the arenas, their locations, and use. Who conducted these studies and when remains unknown. Through this artwork, the artist subtly mocks the idea of scientific rationalization which disguises authoritarian fanaticism and tries to create a commentary not only of a past incident but to serve future times, with the increasing rise of nationalist sentiments not only in Western countries but also in his own homeland of India.

Personal Website Abhijit Pal

Abhijit Pal Propaganda Display conceptual Art Thingstätten project FH Bielefeld
Abhijit Pal: „Propaganda Display“ conceptual Art for the interdisciplinary Thingstätten project. Installation at FH Bielefeld, FB Gestaltung 2014 ©Abhijit Pal

Images from multiple sources, historic and comtemporary, create layers.

I was interested to see these layers recreated in three-dimensional space.

Using historic images from the “Ordensburg Vogelsang” archives, I projected them onto the same location as the original, with the help of several assistants and a heavy, transportable power generator.

Thingstätte im Nationalsozialismus interdisziplinäres Forschungsprojekt Kunst & WissenschaftFotografie Architektur Geschichte FH Bielefeld Katharina Bosse

The historic photograph of the inauguration ceremony of the Thingstätte was projected
onto the stone on its left side, letting us see a double image, past and present, at the
same time. 2014

The Thingstätte at Ordensburg Vogelsang is part of an architectural ensemble, using topographic layers and a mix of architecture and sculpture.

Analoge Fotografie Portfolio

Katharina Bosse Website

Locations: Berlin, Borna, Herchen, Germany

“Visionary Sightseeing Binoculars” is an interactive public art project that aimed to stimulate diverse public awareness and discussion on the past and possible future uses of the architectural form of the Thingstätte. The Thingstätten are architectural forms that have been denounced by the German public and left to decay for 60 years, many situated in forests. They were used by the National Socialist Party in Germany in the 1930s to conduct youth plays, political rallies, and propaganda. Because of their contentious history, images of the sites have been destroyed; even the word Thingstätte itself was banned and the sites are not spoken about. The Thingstätten are underresearched and my work is part of a larger project in which a group of contemporary Jewish-American and German-American artists engage with the Thingstätten in their work. This larger group exhibition and catalogue is curated and written by Katharina Bosse.

Dokumentation des Public Art Projekts zum heutigen Umgang mit der der Geschichte der Thingstätten von Rebecca Hackemann. Ein Thingplatz oder eine Thingstätte war ein speziell gebautes Amphitheater für Propagandapräsentationen des NS-Regimes. Dieses Projekt untersucht die Orte heute und fragt, was soll aus Ihnen werden?

“ Visionary Sightseeing Binoculars” consisted of the following elements:

– A metal viewing device (already built) installed in a public square for several days in Borna, at the base of the Thingstätte in Herchen, and at Tempelhof Flughafen in Berlin. It contained one past and one present photograph of the town’s old Thingstätte in stereoscopic 3D (created in Photoshop) and one past and present image of the Thingstätte of another town.

– The artist and assistant were present at the site next to the piece introducing the project to visitors.

– A survey was conducted via a QR code app to ask what people had in mind for the future of the Thingstätte.

Even though many towns have a Thingstätte, they are often hidden in the outskirts and overgrown in forests. Many residents are unaware of their existence, or unaware of their history. In Herchen in particular, residents thought it was an old castle, and many had never visited it.

Ein von Rebecca Hackemann temporär installiertes Fernglas. Im Inneren sind stereoskope Bilder der Vergangenheit und der Gegenwart.
Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture Building, Culture of Remembrance, Amphitheater, open-air theater, Berlin
Historisches Bild im Fernglas, Berlin
Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture Building, Culture of Remembrance, Amphitheater, open-air theater, Berlin
Zeitgenössisches Bild im Fernglas, Berlin

Reactions Report

In Berlin, the binoculars were installed at the public park in 2015 which used to be Tempelhof Flughafen, now closed. It is a location that Berliners use to cycle on the old runways, walk, fly kites and enjoy the open air, public art and the occasional derelict airplane of which there are a few. The Tempelhof Flughafen has housed many contemporary art festivals that take place outdoors, and the audience, although mixed, is most likely to be used to seeing public art. The reaction of people in Berlin to seeing the images in the binocular stereoscope was one of curiosity and of openness.

Many visitors did not know that the Berlin Waldbühne had been built by the Nazis. Some however did know this, and also knew of other Thingstätte sites in Germany in the countryside. Yet most project visitors / passersby objected to being recorded via audio or video or to having their face depicted. This may be due to the ad hoc nature of this project, that was staged in a public place for passersby to see, or it may have to do with an increased sense of privacy felt in Germany in general, as compared to American audiences I have encountered through this project in the past.

Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture Building, Culture of Remembrance, Amphitheater, open-air theater, Herchen-Windeck
Historisches Bild im Fernglas, Herchen-Windeck
Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture Building, Culture of Remembrance, Amphitheater, open-air theater, Herchen-Windeck
Installation mit Betrachter in Herchen-Windeck

In Herchen an der Sieg, 16 people visited the binoculars within 3 hours, which were stationed at the foot of the hill where the Thingplatz is still today. People were open and curious, and wondered what the object was—it does not look like traditional art and, as intended, leads people to ask questions and wonder what it is, and what it is for. None of the participants knew that the architectural structure on the hill was a Thingplatz. Some thought it was a castle and they had not visited it. The local historian Franz Kluwe noted that many young people were not interested in it despite the town’s efforts and despite recent artistic projects having taken place the previous summer at the site.

Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture Building, Culture of Remembrance, Amphitheater, open-air theater, Borna
Zeitgenössisches Bild im Fernglas, Borna
Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture Building, Culture of Remembrance, Amphitheater, open-air theater, Borna
Historisches Bild im Fernglas, Borna

In Borna, myself and my assistant generally felt unwelcome. Art, here, may not have been the best way to engage the public’s attention, despite being stationed in the marketplace. People did not engage with it and looked at us in a strange way. The weather was also uncooperative. Borna is a town to which I would like to return to spend more time. It lay in stark contrast to Berlin, in the nature of people’s reactions in Herchen. Since the project is not overtly recognizable as art, interaction may have been doubly hard for Borna residents who may not have been exposed to as much public art as Berliners have been in Tempelhof.

Rebecca Hackemann

Rebecca Hackemann - Visionary sightseeing Binoculars - Interactive Public Art Project on Thingstätten Architecture built during National Socialism in Germany. Thingstätte Research Thingstätte Forschungsprojekt Thingplatz Interdisziplinär Architektur International Bauten Kunst Nationalsozialismus Forschung Erinnerungskultur FH Bielefeld Freilichtbühne Katharina Bosse Amphitheater Nazizeit Thingplatz Interdisciplinary National Socialism International Nazi Art Architecture FH Bielefeld Building Culture of Remembrance Amphitheater open-air theater
Stereoskope Bilder in der interaktiven Installation

The project entitled “Visionary Sightseeing Binoculars”

is a photographic and socially engaged travelling public

art project. It took place in Berlin, Borna and Herrchen

in March 2015 for 8 days.

Artist: Rebecca Hackemann Website

Fabrication design: John Stemler,

Northpenn Machine Works

Assistant: Nassim Rad

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