Since the end of January, the Liepāja Occupation Museum has opened a new permanent exhibition, The Great Void. The Holocaust in Liepāja, which aims to create awareness of the city’s historical events and reveal the fates of the many people affected by the Second World War. Aiming to tell the story «emotionally, honestly, and accurately», H2E designed the exhibition to be engaging and interactive.
The permanent exhibition The Great Void. The Holocaust in Liepāja at the Liepāja Occupation Museum is dedicated to the targeted and systematic killing of the Jewish people by the Nazi regime during World War II. This left a painful imprint not only on the common history of Europe but also on the local history of Liepāja — only 25 out of approximately 5,500 Jewish inhabitants of Liepāja survived the Holocaust.
At the opening of the exhibition on January 28, the day after the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the director of the Liepāja Museum, Dace Kārkla, emphasised that until now the Liepāja Occupation Museum had no exhibition dedicated to the Holocaust, so its creation is a long-awaited and significant event that will tell future generations about the horrific events of the past and make them think about dignity and humanity.
Ingūna Elere, co-founder and lead designer of H2E, says that since the main target audience is young people, the design process involved the city’s youth community from the very beginning. H2E prepared questionnaires, organised a joint workshop, and defined the community’s hopes and concerns for the exhibition.
«The exhibition invites us to reflect on our responsibilities in today’s society. The theme of the limits of humanity is relevant at all times, especially today. We hope that the exhibition will encourage a deeper understanding of the events of that time, making today’s and tomorrow’s society more inclusive and human. The exhibition is an invitation to realise that our actions today shape tomorrow, and only by remembering the past can we avoid glimpses of its darkest corners,» Ingūna explains. She reveals that the designers were challenged both by the limited budget and by the desire to offer an emotionally deep and visually powerful experience in a very limited space of just 30 square metres. To achieve this, H2E co-founder and designer Holgers Elers came up with the idea of creating a space «like a novel, telling the drama of humanity in three parts».
The first part reveals the vibrant life of the Jewish community before the war — visitors are greeted by photographs of happy families and a warm, peaceful atmosphere. The second part of the exhibition is the culmination of a dynamic story of «horrific, unimaginable events, which caused the earth to virtually disappear beneath our feet and the world to shatter».
At the centre of the exhibition is a historic video of the mass shooting of the Jewish population in 1941 on the dunes of Šķēde near the Liepāja lighthouse. «We enlarge and mirror this footage throughout the space, allowing the visitor to feel the collapse of the world and the horror that destroyed a vital community and destroyed human dignity,» says Ingūna. The mood is heightened by the singing recorded in the synagogue, which, together with the video, seems to envelop the viewer. The exhibition is complemented by materials from the museum’s collection that tell the story of the humiliation of the Jewish people in the occupied city, as well as vivid, short text passages on anti-Semitic prejudice and the nature of the Holocaust, giving the viewer a deeper understanding of the historical events and their social impact.
The third part of the exhibition, which is designed as an interpreted hideout, is dedicated to the rescuers and the themes of humanity and the strong will to survive. The memories of the rescued are included, telling of «hope in the deepest darkness and of people who risked their lives to save others».
The exhibition has been gifted to the city by the Uniting Foundation, which supports projects to preserve Latvia’s historical heritage, enrich cultural life, and reduce social inequality. «For years, Uniting has been researching the Holocaust in Liepāja, trying to understand how to tell the story of Liepāja to future generations not just as an isolated historical event but as a human tragedy that, like Soviet repression, changed the story of Liepāja and left repercussions that we still feel today. We are pleased that, working hand in hand with the Liepāja Museum and the design studio H2E, we have managed to create a modern and innovative exhibition,» says Elīna Škļara, CEO of the foundation.
The exhibition The Great Void. The Holocaust in Liepāja can be visited at the Liepāja Occupation Museum, 7/9 Klāva Ukstiņa iela, Liepāja. The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10.00 to 18.00. The museum also offers educational classes for young people, who can explore the exhibition with a guide.
Viedokļi