The Forgotten Mobilization
2017
Public Space
Die vergessene Mobilisierung / The forgotten mobilization
2017
Memorial plaque with inscription in public space,
Enamel/Oak, 49x72 cm
Poster, 96 x 66 cm, Circulation: 10 000 copies
Typeface design: Friedlaender
Postcard with typeface Friedlaender, 14,8 x 21 cm
Video, HD, 16:9, 10:37 min.
The forgotten mobilization deals with the relation of historiography, gender and urban space using the example of Lutherstadt Wittenberg in Germany. Luise Schröder deals with alternative historical narratives and their utopian potential. On the basis of a fictitious scenario: The general strike of women of Wittenberg on 4 May 1987 the artist asks “what could have happened, if...”. A memorial plaque designed for public space recalls this fictitious historical event while simultaneously discussing the conditions of historiography and historical narratives. The typeface design: Friedlaender especially designed for the plaque by Reymund Schröder, is a homage to the Jewish font designer Elisabeth Friedländer, who worked in Germany in the 1930s. The two-page poster provides information on the reasons and the course of the strike. The installation is supplemented by a video that presents suggestions by citizens of Wittenberg to the question: which women of Wittenberg should be publicly and officially remembered. This public survey was carried out by the artist. The work was a collaboration between the artist Luise Schröder, the political scientist Sabine Merkel, the graphic designer Anika Rosen and the font designer Reymund Schröder.