Layered Memories

The project Layered Memories [Geschichtete Erinnerungen] transforms the unmarked cemetery at the site of the Austrian Landesklinikum Mauer-Öhling into a contemplative memorial that preserves the dignity of the ground while narrating the historical trauma it holds. Instead of a traditional monument, the intervention initiates the creation of an actual cemetery in the form of a layered cemetery wall that documents the history of Nazi medical crimes through material references and engraved nameplates. During the Nazi era (1938-1945), this psychiatric hospital in Lower Austria became a site of systematic murder, where approximately 2,848 patients were killed by deliberate starvation, deportation to killing centers such as Schloss Hartheim, or direct medical murder. Many thousands more died as a result of hospitalization during this period. Each of the 2,848 stainless steel plaques bears the name of a victim, creating a place of individual remembrance. The shape of the plaques deliberately evokes both forensic toe tags and deportation luggage tags, challenging the euphemistic term "euthanasia" by emphasizing that these were, in fact, murders. The panels, which move in the wind, create a contemplative soundscape that invites visitors to engage with this dark chapter of medical history.

The project draws on theoretical concepts such as James Young's critique of closed forms of memorial, transforming the static list of names into a kinetic and acoustic element. It also addresses Judith Butler's critique of the political hierarchization of mourning, offering equal recognition to all victims regardless of their background or diagnosis. Inspired by Toni Morrison's concept of "re-memory," the design conceptualizes memory as an active, spatial experience. By incorporating stones from deportation sites and using recycled clinker and stone fragments, the project connects the memorial to the historical trajectories of those who perished in the Nazi Medical Crimes Program, which targeted people with disabilities and mental illness. The shadow patterns cast by the engraved locations and the acoustic dimension of the moving plaques emphasize the ephemeral yet ever-present nature of memory. The winning design was selected through a competitive process organized by the Public Art Lower Austria program as part of an ongoing effort to acknowledge this long-suppressed history.

Public space installation

Winning proposal of an invited Public Art competition, commissioned by the Public Art Lower Austria in cooperation with the Lower Austrian Health Agency

Dimensions: 44x55x2,5 m

Materials: Clinker bricks, stone, up-cycled brick and stone fragments

Currently in construction

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Artistic direction: Azra Aksamija

Research and project development with the Future Heritage Lab team: Merve Akdoğan, Christopher Hassan Allen, Lillian P.H. Kollogy, Penelope Phylactopoulos.

Project development consultants: Sam Auinger (acoustic wall elements), LAND (landscape architecture).

Implementation architects: Derntl & Derntl.

Eulensicht [Owl's Wisdom]

Owl's Wisdom is an interactive sculpture that explores the complex historical symbolism of Arno Breker's Pallas Athene statue at the Wilhelm-Dörpfeld-Gymnasium in Wuppertal, Germany. Reminiscent of coin-operated viewfinders found at scenic overlooks, this bronze artwork features a column and owl-shaped binoculars that evoke associations with Athena's (missing) owl and make visible "shadow stories" related to Breker's problematic legacy. The installation is positioned next to the statue of Pallas Athene, offering a direct view. Viewers are symbolically invited to adopt the owl's perspective and use the apparatus to gain new insights. Through the binoculars, one sees Breker's statue framed by a stencil depicting Athena's appropriation by the National Socialists during the Third Reich - specifically taken from the catalog cover of the "Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung" of 1937, which ran parallel to the infamous "Degenerate Art" exhibition.

This project was developed in response to a competition organized by the city of Wuppertal for an artistic commentary on Arno Breker's statue of Pallas Athene. The competition arose from ongoing debates about the presence of the statue at the entrance to the school, as Breker was one of Hitler's favorite sculptors and a prominent representative of Nazi aesthetic ideology. In 2003, the statue was taken down in protest, but later reinstalled. After years of discussion and a public forum in 2019 on whether "a Breker should stand in front of a school," the city decided against removing the statue (which is protected as a historical monument) and instead commissioned a contemporary artistic response that would provide critical context while respecting the school's humanistic values.

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Artistic Concept, Design and Creation: Azra Akšamija

Design Research: Merve Akdoğan, Thera Webb

Project Development and Visualizations: Merve Akdoğan, Ghida Anouti, Penelope Phylactopoulos, Nadine Zaza

Public space installation

Winning proposal of an invited Public Art competition, commissioned by the City of Wuppertal, in collaboration with the Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal

Dimensions: 4 x 8 x 1.7m

Materials: bronze, concrete, stone paving, plants

Currently in construction