Großer Gott wir loben dich – Eine Relektüre

Multi-media installation

The exhibition »Großer Gott wir loben dich - Eine Relektüre« presents the artistic research of Sven Bergelt, which critically examines the »Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life« located in Eisenach/Thuringia from 1939-45. The focus is on the hymnal "Großer Gott wir loben dich" published by the institute. The installation in the St. Nicholas Church Eisenach makes through typographically analysis the changes visible made in the hymnal, and makes it possible to understand the Institute's working methods. In this way, Bergelt's installation raises awareness of the power of language. Fragments of quotations presented from the files of the archive of the church also open up an insight into the political dimension of the institute, show the attempts of those involved after 1945, to justify and legitimize their actions during the Nazi era retrospectively, and make visible the internal discourse in the 1990s, in which the church struggled with an admission of guilt for its involvement in National Socialism.

Installationsansichten, Nikolaikirche Eisenach