Unsettling the Fragments

For the 2007 Skulptur Projekte, Martha Rosler created a sort of game of memory out of forgotten and displaced historical fragments that was displayed in various locations in the city. Of these various historical remnants, only the “eagle” fragment in front of the entrance to the Münster Arcades remains in place.

The eagle at the Arcades is a replica, but the original can still be seen today at the former Lufttransportkommando (air force transport command) of the Wehrmacht (now the Bundeswehr), which was established in 1935 under the direction of Ernst Sagebiel. However, the swastika that the eagle was holding in its claws was chiseled off after 1945.

Martha Rosler chose this emblem not only because it clearly illustrates how we deal with history, but also because the aesthetics of the surrounding arcades. Built by the Kleihues & Kleihues architectural office, they reminded the American artist of designs by Nazi architect Albert Speer.

Additional information: www.skulptur-projekte.de