WHAT REMAINS

 

Participatory stairwell design at the Schwerin Nordlichter school complex, 2020, completed

What always remains is the past

A school is a living place of the future, of change and of memories. Children’s laughter comes and goes. It echoes through the rooms, yesterday and tomorrow. Children always live in the here and now, and the moment is quickly forgotten. To introduce them to history and the significance of time, we explore their own. The window pictures, with their shadows, remind the children of their own past.

In a workshop, I playfully introduced the children to using a camera and exploring perspectives. They were asked to photograph one another to depict what school means to them. Using the resulting photographs combined with my own, I designed the window displays and applied them by hand to the window panes in a painterly style. 

​Children are shown, in a practical way, a direct connection to the transience of life and a respect for old age. The exploration of one’s own mortality and respect for death and life are explored in a playful manner; they are given a place once again in the children’s lives and are not marginalised. Mindfulness towards oneself, older people and life experiences takes on a sense of lightness and normality here, helping children to shape their own futures in a meaningful way. The children’s connection to the artwork was very intense, as they had experienced those moments themselves. These were their memories.

Text and photo: Daniela MELZIG, 2020
 

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