TRANSFORMING BEAUTY

The New Honorary

The Study Group Cemetery and Monument (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedhof und Denkmal e. V.), which exists since 1951, pursues the goal of informing the public in German-speaking countries about the appropriate way to deal with dying, death and mourning, and it does this on the basis of scientific research into the past and present. To this end, the Study Group maintains, among other things, the Central Institute and the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in Kassel, which opened in 1992.

Sculptor and master stonemason Hermann Freymadl from Gernsheim has developed and designed a new award object for 25-year and 50-year membership. The object has the form of a classical gravestone (sepulcrum) and is thus in the context of the association and museum. The base and support is a stone, in this case Carrara marble as an international European material. The outer shell of bronze is pierced, symbolically as a memory living and in a metaphysical way of looking: "looking in – looking out" – "looking in – looking out", into another world and from another world. Lightness is probably the hardest thing to achieve. This is true for all cultural areas and also for the staging of objects or (art) works. The work was created as a team effort. The renowned art foundry Strassacker from Süßen agreed to cooperate. Not the often theory-heavy science or informative didactics, but the inspiration by the concrete in the own house, by the authenticity as well as sensuality of the artifacts were priority in this cooperation. The joint work quickly showed that the two companies are by no means strangers to each other, even though the subject matter is different. Due to the nature of the different materials, the works of both houses revolve around the essential questions of being human, the coexistence of life and death, the relationship to the afterlife. Above all, things play a central role, insofar as man realizes himself in them. Be it everyday objects, cultural devices or works of art that give form to the beliefs in religion and mythology, make the metaphysical, the invisible and factually unprovable present and imaginable. To be successful, you need good, critical and consistent customers and clients. Or also cooperation partners. Because you can only do good things with good (people). Quite simple, actually. The object of the award shows how meaningful it is when quality comes to fruition as the result of a team effort in trusting cooperation, and that in this respect in particular – as in all questions of culture - mediocrity cannot be the issue. This applies in the tradition in the special measure to the museum for Sepulkralkultur, that in the high-carat existence in the museum is experiencable. History, archaeology, art and culture are to this day a symbol and synonym of lived identity. The knowledge of this unique selling proposition is – still – deeply rooted in the perception of our institution, and this "treasure" must be guarded, nurtured, and kept alive in public discussion and perception. This is also what this object stands for, and also what our longstanding committed members, who are (dignifiedly) honored with it, stand for.

Hermann Freymadl