I gave a lecture about my way of working and not-working within the safe context of cultural institutions. Then I cut the letters ‘AARA’ (About Art Related Activities) into my left upper arm and left. (25 January 1999)
There are 3377 births, 3944 deaths, 1122 murders, 498 disasters and 2083 other events about 5734 people in 6443 places until today.
Birth(+)Fact(x)Death(-) Calendar is an ongoing project since 1985 by DDV.
Friday 20th of August 1937 (x) — Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (SS) Heinrich Himmler inaugurates the Konzentrationslager. The camp was to be named K. L. Ettersberg but this was changed to Buchenwald since Ettersberg carried too many associations with Goethe.
Thursday 5th of April 1945 (-) — SS Standartenführer Karl-Otto Koch is executed by the firing squad. Koch was sentenced to death for disgracing both himself and the SS. He was the husband of Ilse Koch.
Wednesday 11th of April 1945 (x) — A detachment of troops of the U.S. 9th Armored Infantry Battalion, from the 6th Armored Division, part of the U.S. Third Army arrives at 15:15hrs to liberate the concentration camp.