In the “Hans Otte. Klanghaus” at the Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, visitorsencounter an extraordinary sound experience: the installation “aufheben” by Michaela Melián invites visitors to experience the diverse meanings of the verb “aufheben” in sound. In the interplay of voices and languages, a field of tension unfolds between abolishing and preserving, between dissolving and securing, between the moment of cancelling and the act of collecting. 66 speakersin 32 languages present this ambiguity by making the different facets of the term audible and thus revealing boundaries and opposing points of view. The installation thus creates a space in which memory oscillates: The alternation between denial and preservation becomes the starting point for meaningful innovations — in keeping with Melián’s artistic practice, which often focuses on marginalised and overlooked stories.
The sound work can be experienced at two very different locations in the Weserburg. In the Klanghaus on level 4 ½, visitors move through the centre of the acoustic work and are completely surrounded by it. In the public tunnel in front of the entrance, on the other hand, access is low-threshold, but the experience remains special: only those who specifically place their ear to a hole in the wall can immerse themselves in the sound world of “aufheben”. These interactions make it clear that memory can be anchored not only in the museum itself, but also in the urban space — as Melián’s current work in Bremen’s grain port, which commemorates the history of the prisoner of war and forced labour camp, shows. The exhibition at the Weserburg combines fascinating spatial and aural experiences with a profound reflection on what remains, is kept and preserved.
