"Beyond Recall", Brigitte Kowanz
11th art project Salzburg Walk of Modern Art: Brigitte Kowanz, "Beyond Recall" (2011) at Staatsbrücke
In her project entitled "Beyond Recall", the Austrian artist Brigitte Kowanz has erected semi-transparent mirror-faced cubes over the bases of the four bridgeheads of Staatsbrücke. They contain neon-lit lettering in the artist's handwriting bearing the inscription: "Beyond Recall", "Envision", "Dedicated Secret".
They also contain a text in memory of the hundreds of prisoners of war and forced labourers, who were compelled to work on the construction of this bridge against their will from 1941 until 1945 and made great sacrifices. This memorial text is at the very core of her work. The functionality of the bridge merges with its history. The bridge connects and at the same time symbolizes the cruelties of the past. "Beyond Recall" wants to remind us not to forget.
