Endless Terror

Bringing the horror to life.

Sound installation to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The longer ago the liberation of Auschwitz took place and the fewer witnesses are still alive, the more difficult it becomes for us to grasp what happened back then. How can we approach the horror of organised extermination 80 years later, start a conversation and pass on the memory to future generations?

The artist Marcus Beuter has visited the memorial site in Auschwitz on several occasions as part of a series of encounter trips. He asked himself how he could artistically process the experience and make it tangible: The shock of being in a place that meant endless suffering and death for so many people. The incomprehensible brutality with which these people were humiliated and tortured. But also the experience that life has gone on since then – even for the few survivors of Auschwitz and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The result is a multi-room sound installation that attempts to make the terror of the extermination camp and the suffering of the people tangible. Visitors walk through four rooms in which sounds express the threatening situation of deportation (Room 1), the intolerability of violence (Room 2), the path away from terror (Room 3) and towards dissolution or survival (Room 4).

The composition in the fourth room conveys a calm, peaceful atmosphere. The audio experience is complemented by a visual work by artist Martina Barz, who has captured all the camps and sub-camps of Auschwitz in the form of glass blocks. This makes the spatial dimension of Auschwitz tangible. In the last room, visitors have the opportunity to reflect on the previous impressions.
In this room, the Conflict Academy at Bielefeld University invites visitors to discuss issues relating to the culture of remembrance.

The installation took place for the first time at TOR 6 Theaterhaus from January 22nd January, to 27th.

Documentation: Jochen Kopp
Camera: Magnus Krenz
Assistance: Lara Mohr

Foto: Katharina Arditi