REcall
nazi calle arrow workshop Venice 9-13 September 2012
edited by Martina Faccio, Silje Hürstad, Hans Ramsgaard Møller
Nazi calle arrow
REcall Docs
REcall is a research project founded by EC Culture 2007-13 Programme (n. 2012 - 0927 / 001 - 001 CU7 COOP7) focused on the possible roles Museography can play when dealing with Difficult Heritage such as the ones coming from conflicts and wars. REcall wishes to envision new ways to the handling of Painful Places & Stories going behind any traditional approach: there is the need to shift from the ‘simply’ commemoration attitude to a more active involvement and participation of people in/with Places & Stories, through design strategies of ‘reappropriation’ (www.recall-project.polimi.it).
The views expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
REcall Consortium POLIMI-Politecnico di Milano - Coordinator - (Italy) AAU-Aalborg University (Denmark) NTUN-Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway) UNEW-Newcastle University (United Kingdom) Fasltad Museum, Falstad (Norway) Museo della Resistenza, Turin (Italy) Associated Partners Ergan Foundation Romsdal museet Routes Agency Snark Issued in November 2012 under Creative Commons: license CC BY SA 3.0
Nazi Calle Arrow
edited by Martina Faccio, Silje Hårstad, Hans Ramsgaard Møller
REcall Docs
THE STORY
Only one sign of Nazi orientation system still remains in Venice, in a narrow calle near one of the most popular place of the city: Campo Santa Margherita. The arrow showed the way to the “Platzkommandantur”, that is the Nazi command located in Piazza San Marco, where a Nazi flag flew constantly, while Venice was occupied from 1943 to 45. Many prisoners had to pass here to reach the Nazi main head quarter since the little calle is also on the way from the railway station to the central square of Venice. Just a step from Campo Santa Margherita, now new yellow signs suggest other paths to reach the station or Piazza San Marco and the Nazi arrow remains, almost illegible, on the crumbled plaster of an old house, as a melting memory. The sign was apparently painted on the wall in September of 1943.
EXPLOITATION
It is likely that there have been many signs painted along the route to the Platzkommandantur, though in our research prior to the workshop in Venice, only this one sign in Calle Renier was found to be described, and not much material could be found on the subject. An indication of this lack of documentation is that during the workshop, the group discovered that there is another sign, at the Campo Santa Margherita, not surprisingly, and of course well known to the locals. The signs are in very poor condition. The way they have deteriorated suggests that someone has intentedly tried to damage the signs, either by throwing stones at them, of with a tool. Though interestingly, the sign on the campo clearly shows that it has been preserved, as the facade has been painted in recent years, but the spot with the sign was not painted over. As one of few visible remains in the city from WWII, it is therefore important that they are preserved, in one way or the other, as reminders of a difficult period in Venetian history. A period that has shaped the ‘cityscape’ at one point in time, contributing to Venice as it stands before us today. Yet another problem is the more general lack of will to preserve these remnants of difficult pasts. Therefore it is important that the stories of such periods are told with caution. Thus there was a challenge in both reappropriating the story and to find a decent way of telling it. As we got to talk to several Venetian residents of the area, the stories about and around the signs started to build up, and after only a few non-systematised, interviews, we concluded that collecting and distributing information of the subject would be a vast task, not suited for the workshop, and maybe not suited for this subject at all. The problem of our narration of this subject then seemed to be more a problem of the approach to what should be told, something we all agreed would be only interesting as we heightened it to a more general level, possibly applicable to other such objects visualising a vast amount of collective memory. In the end our ‘product’ showed a metaphor for the stories in the collective memory disappearing over time, but also raising the questing of whether the stories will disappear as the physical objects disappears, or if such a metaphor as we created can keep the stories alive. The aim here was also to sprout a discussion of whether this would be a way to preserve cultural heritage. Provided material: http://www.recall-project.polimi.it/wp-content/uploads/2_nazi_arrow.zip
METHODOLOGY
We started out by mapping what time, resources, knowledge, skills etc. the team had available. Though not trying to be limited by any of these criteria on the first phase of the workshop. We split the workshop into three parts, the first being a completely open analyse and information gathering. Here we did not allow ourselves to think in any kind of solutions, only broadening the perspective of our subject. The second phase was then narrowing down to a specific solution, product, or what the result might be. The deadline for this phase was to have a completely determined strategy for a solution. The third phase was production; Bringing the solution to life, producing the presentation for the session, doing documentations etc. The initial part of the progress was an analyse of the object and the context of and around the sign. Starting off, there was only one known sign showing the way to the Platzkommandantur. Given that this is located close to Campo Santa Margherita, quite some distance from Piazza San Marco, there had to, at one point, be several more of these signs. Therefore we started trawling the area between Campo Santa Margherita and Piazza San Marco in search for these unknown signs. We were able to find one more, not far from the first, but all others seem to have disappeared. So this type of mapping paid of, and raised a series of questions for the further progress. It was important to get the background story of the signs. Where do they point? What was there? What is the bigger picture behind the signs? Trawling libraries, museums and culture centres, little information was gained. It is as if WWII to a large degree has disappeared from the collective memory of Venice. A brain storming on what would be possible ‘solutions’, both in terms of the subject, but also in terms of time and materials available, led to a change of focus to telling the stories of the signs based on what they could tell us, and what questions they were raising. During the workshop days, as our progress went forward towards a solution or product, we gained more and more information, as we kept the analysing and information gathering partly open during our second fase of narrowing down to a solution. We found that there had been a Platzkommandantur in Venice at several points in history, and not just during the WWII. Performing a typological determination of the font used on the sign, we still managed to place the signs in relation to this event in history. We also managed to gather stories from some locals at Campo Santa Margherita. There was an old man telling a story of the allied forces, while entering the city in 1945, placing a new sign over the German Platzkommandantur reading ”NAVY AFI CLUB”. In the second phase we got our problem narrowed down to being creating some sort of product that would sprout a thought process in the audience and public. Again through a process of brainstorming, evolving and combining ideas, getting a concept for the presentation clear, we ended on the concept
of telling stories, and creating a metaphor for the heritage or memories fading over time. These stories would be from all of the information we had gathered, but not verified. The stories could in that way only be characterised as fictive, thus raising the question that if nothing is done to preserve or describe the signs, the information related to them might be twisted or disappear. This easy to understand metaphor was evolved through a creative process to be a restored version of the sign sprayed on the pavement with water. The water vaporising in the warm Venice, thus giving a speeded up version of the disappearance of the sign on the walls. We constantly had a healthy discussion going on the transdisciplinarity of the team. In that way we could use different viewpoint on e.g. the analyse, and discuss the results from our different backgrounds, thus getting aware of more options and possibilities. In the production phase, where in the nature of things, the pace speeded considerably up, this knowledge of each team member’s competencies showed very useful as we had to get the best out of every part, and at the same time plan and manage the time available. This very interesting mix of professions; artist, archaeologist and architects showed to be a good forum for discussing the subject and task ahead. With different strategies of problem solving, and different ethical approaches to the subject, all lead into a creative process that was influenced by the awareness of each professions standpoints and methods, and throughout this creative process iteratively reconsidering the approach and method. This workshop was very condensed, so it could be interesting to evolve this method, apply it to other subjects or tasks, and get a better understanding for how each professions methods and ethics are to complement each other. As the information we got from the signs themselves was in itself very limited, we found a rather controversial, yet common, solution. That was to make up fictional stories on what could have happened, thus illustrating that when material culture and collective memory disappears, fictitious stories replace them. In addition to these stories, a more material illustration was made. Making a stencil replica of a reconstructed sign, sprayed with water, thus leaving a clear print in water of the sign. This was done during the presentation at the session of the Biennale, and when the presentation was over, so was the sprayed sign on the floor. This was also documented as a website both showcasing the sprayed sign vaporating and telling the fictional stories, as well as the discription and story behind the project. The following pages will show the process and the storys made for the session. Go to http://www.recall-project.polimi.it/wp-content/nazicallearrow/index_ start.html to see the workshop presentation.
LIGHTING THE DARK
As we stand in front of painful remnants from the past, questions arise. If we do not embrace the dark parts of history as important events, how are we to learn from them? How are we to understand the state of things at this present time, if pieces of the historical puzzle, making up the world today are left out?
THE OLD MAN’S STORY
He recalls the sound of steps in the streets. Not like the steady march of leather boots, but lighter. Friendlier, perhaps. The sound of voices, not Italian, not German. Even though he does not himself speak the language, he easily identifies it as English. In Campo Santa Margherita he sees the group of English navy soldiers mark their presence on the wall. “NAVYAFICLUB”. The sign is painted immediately above the sign showing the way to the former Platzkommandantur, though not interrupting it in any other way. Was this act a symbol of victory and defeat? Was it a conscious act of preserving what once had been, so that people would remember?
ILLUMINARE IL BUIO
Quando ci troviamo di fronte a resti del passato che evocano ricordi dolorosa sorgono inevitabilmente delle domande. Se non ricerchiamo informazioni riguardanti le parti oscure della storia accogliendole come eventi importanti, come possiamo imparare da loro? Come possiamo comprendere lo stato delle cose del presente, se alcuni pezzi di un puzzle storico vengono lasciati in disparte?
LA STORIA DI UN UOMO ANZIANO
Egli ricorda perfettamente il suono dei passi per le strade. Non è come la marcia costante degli stivali di pelle, questo suono è più leggero, quasi ovattato. Amichevole, forse. Il suono delle voci, non italiane, non tedesche. Anche se non parla la lingua, identifica in un istante l’inglese. È in Campo Santa Margherita che ricorda di aver visto un gruppo di soldati della marina inglese marcare la loro presenza attraverso una scritta su un muro. “NAVY AFI CLUB”. Il segnale è dipinto immediatamente sopra la freccia che indicava il Platzkommandantur, senza intaccarla in alcun modo. È questo il simbolo della vittoria e della sconfitta? Preservare ciò che un tempo era stato il Platzkommandantur è un modo cosciente per mantenere vivido questo ricordo nella memoria delle persone?
CALLE CORRIER
On a warm summer evening in the fifties. An old woman, or perhaps an adolescent boy, is standing on a ladder. Is it anger that adds force to the chisel? Or is it driven into the stone wall for practical reasons? In either case, the writing on the wall is not willing to succumb. The attempt to remove the sign, showing way to the Platzkommandantur, adds to the sign’s life story as it is presented for us today.
ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF CAMPO SANTA MARGHERITA
At a different point in history (or maybe not): the paint brush sweeps across the wall leaving a beautiful, smooth yellow colour. There is, however, a part of the wall that will not experience a face lift on this day. Two signs, one in German and one in English, the one below the other, are still visible when the paint job is done, and they still are today.
CALLE CORRIER
al buio di una calda serata estiva negli anni cinquanta. Un’ anziana signora, o forse un ragazzo adolescente è intento a fare qualcosa arrampicato su un’antica scala in legno appoggiata ad un muro. È la rabbia che aggiunge forza allo scalpello? Oppure è conficcato nel muro in pietra per motivi pratici? In entrambi i casi, la scritta sul muro non è disposta a soccombere. Il tentativo di rimuovere il segno che mostrava la strada per il Platzkommandantur aggiunge informazioni che verranno tramandate.
SUL LATO ORIENTALE DI CAMPO SANTA MARGHERITA
ad un punto differente della storia (o forse no) un pennello cosparge la parete di un freschissimo colore giallo uniforme. Vi è tuttavia una parte della parete non interessata dall’operazione di rinnovo di questo giorno. Due segnali, uno in tedesco dallo stile severo, l’altro in inglese di colore rosso, l’uno sotto l’altro, sono ancora visibili al termine dell’intervento di verniciatura. Lo sono ancora oggi.
VENICE, AUTUMN 2012
Six groups of students, with different academic backgrounds, are trying to find a way of telling difficult stories. One of the groups is given the task of presenting the story of a Nazi sign painted on the wall of one of the narrow calles in the city. During documentation, another, similar sign appears. The website is the product of the work that this group performed in three hectic days in September 2012. Combining art, architecture and archaeology has resulted in a fusion of history, facts, forms and fiction. The true story behind the events that have left traces in Campo Santa Margherita might never be known, but we hope that our actions might help to prevent stories being forgotten in the future.
VENEZIA, AUTUNNO 2012
Sei gruppi di studenti con percorsi formativi differenti stanno cercando di trovare un modo per raccontare storie difficili. Ad uno dei gruppi è affidato il compito di presentare la storia di un segnale nazista dipinto sulla parete di una stretta calle della città . Nel corso della documentazione, appare un altro segno simile. Questo sito è il prodotto del lavoro che questo gruppo ha realizzato in tre giorni frenetici di settembre. La combinazione di arte, architettura e archeologia ha portato ad una fusione di storia, fatti, forme e narrativa. I fatti realmente accaduti in Campo Santa Margherita potrebbero non essere mai rivelati, ma ci auguriamo che le nostre azioni possano aiutare a portare alla luce parti di storia, affinchè non vengano dimenticate con il passare del tempo.
REcall docs – nazi calle arrow Published by Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Progettazione dell’Architettura © May 2013, The Authors
nazi calle arrow REcall is a research project founded by EC Culture 2007-13 Programme focused on the possible roles Museography can play when dealing with Difficult Heritage such as the ones coming from conflicts and wars. REcall wishes to envision new ways to the handling of Painful Places & Stories going behind any traditional approach: there is the need to shift from the ‘simply’ commemoration attitude to a more active involvement and participation of people in/with Places & Stories, through design strategies of ‘reappropriation’ (www.recall-project.polimi.it). editors Martina Faccio is Concerned with the perception of spatial experience in terms of the relationship between light and shadow that produces architecture and different photographic techniques to document this ephemeral condition of space. Silje Hårstad Silje Hårstad has a background in Cultural Heritage Management. She has previously worked on issues concerning the role of museums with regard to displaying and telling marginal/difficult stories. Hans Ramsgaard Møller’s approach lies in tectonics and poetics with a simultaneous concern for energy and climate; aspects directly connected to our wellbeing.Through an iterative methodolody I believe we can come to a simple solution of complex problems.
REcall is a research project funded by EC Cluture 2007-13 Programme (n. 2012 - 0927 / 001 - 001 CU7 COOP7)
REcall