Stolpersteine

All around Europe “Stolpersteine” are a reminder of people that have been deported during the Nazi regime in the Third Reich – among them were not only Jews, but also gays, intellectuals, members of opposing political parties etc. Cobblestones with their names and birthdays engraved in front of the houses the victims lived in remind us of how ubiquitous the Nazi repression and persecution was. The metal stones keep our memory of all those once anonymous victims alive, they give them a name and a story.

We designed the banners for the travelling exhibition about “Stolpersteine” in Leipzig. Individually selected cases with portraits, documents, diary entries and texts are freely arranged around a static, duplex-coloured historical middle axis, that puts personal the fate of victims in a broader socio-historical context. Transfering the all-to-well known historical documents such as pictures of concentration camps, iconic buildings and disturbing decrees by the Nazis into an iridescent colour range takes away some of the historical weight and creates a very modern feel to the whole exhibition.

The design is complemented with a very versatile typography, which intertwines pictures with texts and allows for a playful approach to a rather serious topic.