An Alternative History of Symbols and their Meaning is an ongoing self-initiated project that involves using the colours and symbols embedded in the coats of arms of federal states, cities, towns, and villages in Germany to depict a fictional state struggling with its identity, with change, and the failure of its institutions. It touches on issues of appropriation, production of meaning, reverse ethnology, and the role of fiction in shaping contemporary realities.
The first iteration of the project involved the organization of a solo exhibition at Galerie Melike Bilir, Hamburg, Germany from 7th September to 15th October, 2023. The exhibition showed eleven (11) enamel shields forged in Rohrbach, Bavaria, and a poster edition designed by Saki Ho of Research Studio, Hamburg.
Photos: Henning Rogge.
