Lest We Forget

Lest we Forget - Gegen das Vergessen

Over the last few months, Luigi Toscano has made more than 200 portrait photographs of concentration camp survivors. The portraits were taken in Israel, Russia, the Ukraine, Germany, and the US. The project, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the liberation of survivors from the concentration camps at the end of the Second World War, is intended to inspire us to reflect, "Lest we forget." The photographs of now elderly first-hand witnesses represent a strong artistic call to take a stand against the antisemitism and racism of today. The cultural project will be on exhibition as a photo installation in public areas of Mannheim's Alte Feuerwache (Germany) from 16 September 2015.

In a parallel move, this innovative concept for an exhibition will also be presenting the portraits in this iPad App entitled "Lest we forget". Toscano was able to enlist the Naxos Software Solutions GmbH to develop the App and sponsor the realization of the project. In addition to letting you take a virtual tour of the photo exhibition whenever you want and wherever you are, the App also provides lots of additional information. The App interactively combines the portraits with filmed interviews, as well as historical data and references. The photo and film material "confronts" the viewer, thereby setting in motion an in-depth reflexion on the fate of the concentration camp survivors in the portraits. Using media didactics and museum pedagogy, the "Lest we forget" App enables the viewer to reflect on these complex issues in a highly individual and poignant way.

Find more information on the project here: http://gegen-das-vergessen.gdv-2015.de/en