November 1918.
The Great War ended. After four years, it was finally over. One of the most devastating conflicts in human history, where millions of military and civilians lost their life, and millions more suffered the calamitous consequences of war.
In remembrance of the victims and the 100 commemoration of the end of World War I, the artist Walter Kuhn transformed the Königsplatz in Munich into a poppy field. Not so long ago in this same place, thousands of military marched as demonstrations of power during very dark times. Now it was covered by vibrant red flowers, graciously playing with the wind, in a sunny winter day.
Besides being fascinated by the colors and overwhelmed by the pain of war memorials, my brain was also busy with one question: Why Poppy flowers?
The "Never Again" exhibition clarified it for me. These flowers are used as a symbol in many countries to remember the victims of WWI, because they were often the first plants to grow on the soldiers graves.
So grim, yet such a beautiful symbolism. This is exactly why this project caught my eye: it was peaceful. Being used to commemorations with military parades, with massive tanks and scary guns, it was refreshing to see flowers instead. To change the loud Generals shouting orders to uniformed soldiers, for families playing around a field of flowers. Even my aversion for the traditional "authoritarian red" color shade, was overshadowed by the kid's laughs and the people there, reading the exhibition, educating themselves.
My heart was touched by the exhibition, so I continue reading about WWI and found this heartbreaking quote:
"When the war ended, I don't know if I was more relieved that we'd won or that I didn't have to go back. Passchendaele was a disastrous battle —thousands and thousands of young lives were lost. It makes me angry. Earlier this year, I went back to Ypres to shake the hand of Charles Küntz, Germany's only surviving veteran from the war. It was emotional. He is 107.
We've had 87 years to think what war is. To me, it's a licence to go out and murder. Why should the British government call me up and take me out to a battlefield to shoot a man I never knew, whose language I couldn't speak? All those lives lost for a war finished over a table. Now what is the sense in that?"
Harry Patch - Last surviving combar soldier of WWI.
Never Again.
📑 References and further info:
Exhibition: niemalswieder.com
Quote: Taken from Wikipedia - Reference: The Sunday Times, 7 November 2004.
📸 Pictures: Heiner Langer, 2018.