REMEMBERING THE PAST

"Angela Findlay’ s lecture was really excellent as it offered an alternative viewpoint for that much-discussed period in history. I enjoyed her exploration of the rebuilding of German society and the tackling of the somewhat delicate issue of commemoration in this country. It was so interesting to learn more about the memorials built to commemorate German losses, and the different ways in which they have been interpreted. The lecture kept everyone’ s attention throughout with Angela’ s eloquent and informed slides. A great success!"

Lower Sixth student,King William’s College

"Both Angela’s talks about Germany were extremely well received by our Y10 and Y12 Germanists and historians. The students appreciated Angela’s in-depth explanations and analysis, her well-paced and clear communication, as well as the accompanying visual stimulus she provided. The extensively researched and thought-provoking content provided an ideal extension to the curriculum and complimented our enrichment programme."

Gareth Creagh

Head of German, Highgate School

REMEMBERING THE PAST. GERMANY’S UNIQUE CULTURE OF APOLOGY AND RECONCILIATION

IDEAL FOR SIXTH FORM, PSHE, ENRICHMENT OR GENERAL STUDIES. ALSO FOR HISTORY DEPARTMENTS OR SOCIETIES, HOLOCAUST STUDIES, PEACE & RECONCILIATION PROGRAMMES AND AS PREPARATION FOR SCHOOL TRIPS TO BERLIN AND WW2 SITES.

TALK

With all the current anniversaries and centenaries of the two World Wars the subject of Remembrance is hugely topical. And yet little is known here about Germany’s complex post-war process and its powerful culture of Counter memorials.

After the end of WW2 a collective silence descended over Germany and the horrors of the past were suppressed. Germany’s very specific situation rendered all traditional concepts of monuments and memorials irrelevant and inappropriate but in the 1980s certain artists resolved to create art forms that would confront Germans with their Nazi pasts and respond to questions of apology and atonement:

How does a nation of former persecutors mourn its victims?
How do you commemorate destruction?
How do you remember what you would rather forget?

The art forms emerging all over Germany are fascinating, challenging and highly original. Some change or disappear over time; some demand interactive responses. All aim to keep the memories alive in the minds of the observers rather than in the memorial itself.

Angela’s Anglo-German roots, artistic background and years of research into the historical context in which her German grandfather operated as a decorated General in the Wehrmacht, puts her in an ideal position to give insights into Germany’s on-going efforts to find artistic forms for the remembrance of the victims of one of history’s darkest periods.

As in all her talks, she asks ethical questions, challenges pre-conceptions and evokes empathy through understanding ‘the other side of more familiar narratives.