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Pillars of Witness
by Lina Leibovich Tahney Fosdike
Artworks have always been integral to our museum, and as we redevelop we have found ways to integrate and reimagine existing works into a new landscape. In 1999, internationally renowned artist Andrew Rogers created a sculpture, The Pillars of Witness, commissioned for the former Melbourne Holocaust Museum building.
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Pillars of witness by Andrew Rogers
For many years, Pillars of Witness, fixtured to the façade of the museum, left an impression on thousands of visitors, coming and going from the building, with its evocative narrative of Holocaust trauma and Jewish survival. Speaking on the artwork today, as it was reworked by the architects for its new garden installation, Rogers reflects, “this sculpture was created 23 years ago and took up many months of thought and activity.There is nothing more confronting and disturbing than talking with Holocaust survivors about what they thought was important to portray.This was done prior to and during the creation of these 70 panels depicting the stages of the Holocaust. It is still a resonating experience many years later. The sculpture is about memory for without memory we are nothing.” In reinstating the Pillars of Witness in its new site, much thought went into determining the new layout. For Rogers, “the challenge is always to use materials in a new and different way, and make them convey meaning and portray form in a manner that has not previously been seen.” The new garden featuring the Pillars of Witness gives the viewer a new perspective. Rogers explains, “the plaques have been reconfigured to assist viewing in what will be a quiet, private space for contemplation as opposed to a building exterior portal that people pass through. People will have more time to think and reflect.” The Garden of the Pillars of Witness were first seen by survivors in May as they were welcomed to the MHM for the first time, accompanied by bipartisan political supporters of the MHM. We look forward to welcoming the wider public through the doors of the MHM soon.
