A Lübeck Experiment
Over the course of several months, interested people from our city have dealt with the values of “respect,” “openness ” and “self-realization ” in workshops and digitally. What do we associate with these values? What do they mean in concrete terms? How do they become experiential? The project “Alchemy of the City”, which the Museum of Values, the Overbeck Society and the European Hansemuseum are jointly realizing in Lübeck as project partners, seeks answers to these questions. I watched the first exhibition and I can only recommend you to take the time for a quiet moment that will give you new insights about yourself.
Respect – Exhibition in St. Petri from 23.07. until 28.08.2022
What do we mean when we talk about respect? The term is subjectively perceived and interpreted differently. On July 23, an exhibition opens in the light-flooded church hall of St. Peter’s, which approaches the abstract value concept of “respect” through personal stories and memories that people of our city have sent in over the past weeks.
St Peter’s is the ideal place to start the events around the alchemy of the city. Churches have always been places of exchange and encounter. I love the clear and bright atmosphere, the vastness of the space where the soul comes to rest. Here, the team from the Museum of Values around Jan Stassen and Laura Ludwig has placed objects that represent the stories sent in. Among them a glittering evening handbag, a handful of oranges, a silver cutlery and a sack coat. I won’t tell you what they stand for. Believe me: you will be surprised, moved and amazed.
At listening stations you can delve into some of the stories particularly intensively. As an example, I brought you the story titled“Decision.”
Source: Audio “The Decision” – © Museum of Values / Alchemy of the City, Speaker Nagmeh Alaei, Photo: Niklas Heinecke
A piece of music has also been created: the Lübeck double bass player Florian Galow has a musical answer to the discussion about values. You can listen to it here .
Most beautifully, the immersive exhibition offers plenty of space to engage with one’s own values and personal beliefs regarding the value of “respect.”
For example, in the exercise “Delete values“. I tried it out and it was not easy for me to determine first seven, then five and finally three values out of ten that are most important to me.
Stack
Impressive is the installation called “Stack” by the artist trio of Sven Sauer, Carocora and Matthias Rodach, who dealt with the value of “respect” for this first of three exhibitions in Lübeck. Perceiving and enduring different perspectives within a society is visualized by a sculpture placed in a star shape between the church columns. From all sides, the center of the sculpture and thus the value of “respect” is being tugged at. Not only since the Corona pandemic has our society been confronted with the question of how to treat each other with respect.
The fact that respect has a lot to do with being able to listen and wanting to listen became clear in the workshops in Lübeck, reports Laura Ludwig. The longing to be heard and seen, and thus respected, is very great. It is also exciting that people of all ages were involved in the development process.
In any case, I think it’s fantastic that so many people had the courage to describe moments and incidents, some of them very personal. My “respect” story would be about my grandma Inge , who worked in a retirement home in Glücksburg in the 1960s and 1970s. Sometimes I was allowed to go with them to pick them up and usually got a small bowl of a dessert that was left over. Grandma always spoke of “her ladies”. She knew each of their life stories and met them with respect for their individual life achievements. Asked for advice, even learned new things from the ladies. And thus taught us that an old person may look old, but in him there is a whole valuable lived life that deserves respect.
The exhibition is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
Live from the exhibition
The LÜBECK ZWISCHENTÖNE have also been part of the development process and have asked participants for a feedback. Listen in to hear what people of Lübeck believe to be the “value kit” of their city.
Du hörst einen Snack aus der Gesamtausgabe der Lübeck Zwischentöne.
Die gesamte Folge des Podcasts hörst du auf www.luebeck-zwischenzeilen.de/podcast.
