Wolfenbüttel Prison – Remodelling of the former execution site

Background

Wolfenbüttel Prison was designed in 1990 as a memorial for the National Socialist judiciary and its villainous mechanisms. gewerkdesign’s competition entry for its remodelling was a light installation in the building where executions once took place.

Though seemingly empty at first, upon entering the room visitors discover a tiled wall with the engraved names and dates of birth and death of all the people executed there: a »wall of names«. Lit from behind by LED, the names would then light up one at a time in random order, creating the dark silhouette of a guillotine at the centre of the wall.