The Nomadic Monument for Gaza is not only an traveling architectural installation for humanity but an antidote to the Western world looking away from the genocide in Gaza. The installation consists of felt columns set up in the contour of Gaza. Underneath, the map of The Hague (the so-called city of ‘Peace and Justice’ where the installation is shown for the first time). This map can be seen in the same scale as the contour of Gaza, making it clear how small the area actually is: the coastline is 41 kilometres long, which is the same as the coastline from Hoek van Holland to Noordwijk. Gaza is 6 to 12 km wide, so at its narrowest almost equal to the distance from the Hofvijver ( the pond in front of the Dutch parliament building in The Hague) to the North Sea. More than 2,5 million people lived here, of whom more than 75 thousand have now died as a result of war violence. From the outside, the monument with the grey columns looks like a prison wall, from the inside you experience it as a cemetery. The amount of victims is burned into the felt with a soldering iron, The anonymous marks stands for the inhumanity of this catastrophe.
The Monument raises the questions, what can be the role of art and architecture in times of war. What can art say when words are no longer listened to? Can art take on a role of 'third eye' in an age of looking away? Can working collectively on such an installation ensure that you as an individual stay awake and alert and can see through the political propaganda? ‘What has been announced for decades only comes into view with politicians when it has already landed’ (quote Heidegger). This is probably still too optimistic.
A monument to humanity sounds nice, but does it make sense, if the genocide continues? Showing humanity should not be an excuse to ease your conscience. If someone drowns, it is of no use to this person if humanity is shown on the quay, a lifebuoy must be thrown. Recently, UNESCO has granted the Monument a patronage. With this award to the Monument, the Dutch UNESCO commission emphasizes the importance of cultural expression and the role that art, architecture and culture play in dialogue, resilience and peace.
The design of the Nomadic Monument Gaza is by architect Eric Vreedenburgh (Archipelontwerpers) and has been developed together with sculptor Ingrid Rollema (Hope Foundation), interior designer Karel Bodegom and visual artist Hettie Wempe. The Nomadic Monument is intended to travel through Europe. It has been in The Hague, Den Bosch, Leeuwarden, Leuven, Antwerpen, Deventer and……….to be continued.
In addition, a drawing of a kit is available for anyone who wants to build such an installation in their own city (then use the map of your own city). And for more background information about this disaster: read the compact book: 'Israel in Palestine' by Yakov Rabkin, Professor of History at the University of Montreal.
