Battlefield Love Memorials
A global art project initiated by Nikolaus Eberstaller
Battlefield Love Memorial is a large-scale international art project in public space, which the Austrian artist Nikolaus Eberstaller has been planning since 2011.
His huge installation will occupy an area of 3,500 sqm consisting of 232 life-sized figures of soldiers and 36 armored vehicles, all made of lightweight concrete. The two armies are facing each other on a pink battlefield in a special formation: tanks and soldiers, also covered in pink, have become arranged in the form of the letters “L”, “O”, “V” and “E” and go literally to an “attack”.
In one way, the art project is winking at us, but at the same time very serious statements about the current social-political discourses of our society are being taken and its reflecting themes such as “love”, “war” and the social responsibility for one another.
This work is not an untouchable museum piece, but wants to be realized, stimulated and edited by the audience: one can and should live, eat and play in it. So claimed, soldiers and tanks pass away until they can be environmental friendly disposed of or reused. The ruinous battlefield will after being exhibited for a while disappear and leaves LOVE back.
Beforehead the project starts with two performances in Berlin. The rigid, concrete battlefield installation is preceded by the living sculpture interpreting the fluid transformation from escalation to deescalation through citizen power. It shows a symbolic transformation of dramatic past into life-affirming, solution-oriented perspectives, the combination of commemoration and new positive orientation on Berlin’s historic ground.
The participant-strong peace performance was held on 8 May 2015 on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Berlin with hundreds of youths on Askanischer Platz. It is organized in cooperation with WHITECONCEPTS, Youth-LeadeR (UNESCO project), Berlin schools and ambitious partners. The project is created for sending a positive signal to mankind – highlighting the real treasures, true values of our society: peace, human love, and understanding among nations. Both events include a focus on youth powers to transform the world – creative optimism, free spirit, fearlessness, and their inspiring influence on the adult world.
Grounded in history, the installation takes a positive look at creating a peaceful, sustainable present and future through the inspirational examples of teenage hero/ines leading wildly successful social and environmental initiatives around the globe. Schools worldwide are invited to interact with them, contribute to their causes and join a global community through our educational partner Youth-LeadeR.
The project BATTLEFIELD LOVE MEMORIALS collaborates with outstanding young artists. 11 WIE DU (Germany´s leading “positive change” youth band and UNICEF Junior Ambassadors) and FEDOR (Hip Hop) bring the musical spirit of the Change Generation on stage.
The project is being developed in cooperation with WHITECONCEPTS, Youth LeadeR and the Cultural Foundation Forum Castle Kraskow. We are grateful for the support of the Cultural Secretary Tim Renner, Kulturprojekte Berlin, the city of Breslau, Technical University Berlin, betonwerkstatt, LASERLINE, GRACE, contemas websolutions, Scan3D, aalborgportland, Gardemann, Barufke Handelsservice, Jugend Theater Werkstatt Spandau, Marc Bogaerts, Mathilde Lossin, 11WieDu, Filming for Change, Verein der Visionäre, Friedensfestival, and many other dedicated partners and participating schools in Berlin.
The Berlin performance was part of the program Mai 45 – Spring in Berlin, organized by Kulturprojekte Berlin: www.berlin.de/mai45/
www.battlefield-love-memorial.berlin
artist information and available works
more projects by Nikolaus Eberstaller
