Zum Wohle des ganzen Landes

“Zum Wohle des ganzen Landes”
To the common good of the entire country
2018
Proposal for a monument dedicated to Eduard Rosenthal
Botho-Graef-Kunstpreis 2018

The design for this decentralized memorial dedicated to Eduard Rosenthal consists of a commemorative plate designed by the artist, which pays tribute to the Jewish lawyer and addresses the empty space in the culture of memory associated with him. This plate should be produced in an edition of 1.08 million copies and send as a gift to all private households in the Federal State of Thuringia, Germany. An integral part of the design is a communication campaign that accompanies and evaluates the memorial process and documents the emerging public and media discussion. The scope of the memorial results from the sum of all plates, their distribution and the mediation campaign, which together form the work and are distributed throughout Thuringia. The draft renegotiates the relationship between public and private commemoration and thus enables a direct and partial participation. Every Thuringian will relate to the memorial gift. The monument in its form is local and sustainable. Local in the sense of the materials and forms used. Sustainable in terms of its production and effect, because this is implemented with companies from Thuringia. In its entirety and scope, the memorial design is a sign and a plea for a democratic culture of remembrance.