26 January 2014 / 26 January 1998

Videoart feature
Shoah Film Collection 3

Today, 26 January 2014 the Manifestation of „ A Virtual Milan 2014” is taking place the 2nd day in Remembrance of the Victims of Holocaust (27 January – International Holocaust Commemoration Day).
Under the Patronage of the European Parliament and invited by [box] -video art space Milan – Wilfried prepared the most comprehensive presentation of Shoah Film Collection until this date.
Milan as an important place during the Italian Fascism supporting Hitler exterminating Italian Jews – was a particular venue, based on the local initiative to keep vivid the history of the Italian victims of Holocaust “Colori Della Memoria”, because the era of the Italian Fascism and the collaboration with Hitler’s Third Reich had, generally not been a matter of reflection in Italy after World War II. But Milan was also the place where Mussolini dead body presented to the masses.
In so far, one might speak even of a kind of historical event, because young Italian generations are searching nowadays for their historical roots, and probably dealing with “Fascism” the term “Fascism” is historically rooted in Italy – is representing such an issue, because the Fascism is still representing a political power in contemporary Italy through the Neo-Fascist Party.

A Virtual Memorial Milan2014 is part of “I Colori Della Memoria” organised by Milan City Council standing the Patronage of the European Parliament, the Municipality of Milan, the Province of Milan, the Region of Lombardia and Jewish Documentation Center Milan (EDEC).

26 January 1998

Today, Wilfried Project “ A Living Memorial Space of Art” – standing under the Patronage of Ignatz Bubis, President of the Central Jewish Council of Germany, was part of the official celebration of the International Holocaust Commemoration Day 1998 @ the Antonite Church located @ Cologne city center.
Wilfried was combining the installation of the “Blue Space” at the head of the gothic church with an action involving all visitors. In agreement with the event organisation and supported by a couple of volunteers, Wilfried prepared the star of David in hundreds of copies which the Nazi used for stigmatizing Jews and other social groups to be persecuted, in different colours according to the Nazi colour code and each one of the about 200 visitors was decorated with such a coloured star – the visitors could experience how it feels to be stigmatized – and indeed most people felt increasingly uncomfortable, some even became agressive.
This action had been controversial at the beginning, but in the end all visitors were participating in this action generating a particular hostile atmosphere – such hostile, that after the official ceremony – when the visitors were invited to join a walk to a memorial stone in the city center – Wilfried was left standing alone in the church and he recognized very disappointed that most of these events commemorating the Holocaust are no more than an alibi action and most of the people refuse to be confronted personally too close and deep with the real human dimension of being discriminated, persecuted and finally, murdered like the Jews, but also the countless members of other unpopular minorities.
It was not the first time, that Wilfried was re-thinking the “German commemoration culture”, which in principle has its good sides, but when it becomes a routine it is losing its actual meaning.
“Commemorating the Holocaust” – is representing a very delicate bloom that you have to handle most carefully.

a complementary NewMediaFest2020 selection is featuring

selection1
Christiano Berti (Italy) – Lety, 2009, 19:40
Sean Burn (UK) – Turn the Book Around, 2009, 1:42
Isobel Blank (Italy) – If a spot of human lasts, 2009, 3:57
Paolo Bonfiglio (Italy) – Mortale, 2009, 6:48

selection2
Heike Liss & Thea Farhadian (USA) – ZeroPointTwo, 2007, 18:00
Doron Polak & Uri Dushy (Israel) – RED 2, 2008, 7:20
Antti Savela (SWE) – Matka, 2009, 3:33

selection3
Susanne Wiegner (Germany) – [my homeland] 2012, 1:33
Nathania Rubin (USA) – My Girl Burn, 2009, 2:54
Agricola de Cologne (Germany) – Memory Game, 2010, 8:00
Dana Levy (Israel) – Time with Franz, 2005, 10:00
Doris Neidl (Austria) – If this is a Man, 2009, 5:09
Daveed Shwartz (Israel) – I saw a Mountain, 2009, 5:00

selection 4
Istvan Horkay (Hungary) – Tenebrae, 2012, 6:00
Felice Hapetzeder (SWE) – Origin On Re-cut Trailer, 2009, 7:02
Agricola de Cologne (Germany) – Silent Cry, 2008, 3:53
Brian Delevie (USA) – Haggadah, 2007, 15:01