On Wednesday 16 September 2015, the exhibition 'Some people laughed, some people cried, most people were silent' will open at Neimënster as part of the 'Philoktet' project.
'Some people laughed, some people cried, most people were silent' is the creation of Karolina Markiewicz, Pascal Piron and Eric Schockmel and refers to the famous quote by J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
The exhibition focuses on ontological breaks and their consequences, as was the case for the testing and use of the atomic bomb 70 years ago. It aims to shed light on the short period of time in which Oppenheimer developed the atom bomb whilst at the same time hoping to never see its introduction to the world.
To this end, the bomb and its physical, mental and historical irradiation are put into persepctive and personified by the speeches of two figures, one the ancient mythical character of Philoctetes, the other, Oppenheimer, at the contemporary end of history.
The exhibition forms part of the 'Philoktet' project, which also features the stage adaptation of the text by Heiner Müller written between 1958 and 1964 after the work of Sophocles. The exhibition will be on display at the Cloister Lucien Wercollier until 31 October 2015.
The work of Karolina Markiewicz and Pascal Piron will also be showcased in the form of excerpts from their 'Mos Stellarium' documentary on refugees, which will be displayed as a video installation at the 56th Venice Biennale art exhibition.
Photo by neimënster
