What might a monument commemorating migration look like? How can memories of migration be shared and preserved? What significance can a collective approach have in expanding the culture of public space remembrance? What role can emerging digital formats play in this context?

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The digital monument Alternatives Denkmal für Deutschland — ADfD (Alternative Monument for Germany) was born as an initiative centered on exploring the relationship between representation, public spaces, and art.

It examines the typology of monuments in cities as its research and action field. The project was born out of the need to resist the racist and xenophobic migration discourse in Germany and the European Union. The monument project is not static but processual, evolving through community-driven gatherings, workshops, and lecture series. Its focus is queer, feminist, and migrant-centered. Its purpose is to provide a platform for voices, bodies, cultures, identities, and forgotten stories.

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In 2024, a diverse group of artists, scientists, activists, and citizens selected via an open call gathered in Berlin-Neukölln to collectively envision an alternative monument for migration traces and exile memories. By choosing a digital format, specifically augmented reality, the monument aims to challenge prevailing power structures, combining digital and physical public spaces, and incorporating sound and narration.

The Alternative Monument to Germany integrates as its architectural base the displaced Ishtar gate which is a symbol of ancient engineering, religious and mythological significance, imperial power, cultural exchange, historical legacy, and the complexities of cultural heritage and identity. 

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The ADfD Gate offers a multisensory space that weaves together diverse layers of collages, sculptures, ideas, and poetic words into a cohesive archetypal experience of migration. This digital assemblage reflects the personal journeys of its creators, evoking the emotions of migrants and exiled individuals. The gate aspires to be a universally powerful and sensitive experience for those who choose to immerse themselves in it. The central archway, reminiscent of the Ishtar Gate, is obscured by layers of textures, images, and objects, including abstract shapes, colorful swirls, torn paper textures, and digital art created during a collaborative workshop. These chaotic visual elements, alongside disconnected figures and shapes embedded in the gate's surface, lend the structure an eerie, fragmented appearance that blurs the boundaries between ancient and digital realms. Additionally, the integration of sound composed by Nour Sokhon—featuring interviews with the collaborators, city noises, water, and breathing—creates an immersive, multisensory environment that offers a visceral connection to the monument. Musical compositions by Nour further amplify the emotional impact, transforming the experience into a memorable and evocative journey.

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The Alternatives Denkmal für Deutschland exists in a digital, fluid state, accessible through choice rather than imposition. It connects four significant locations in Berlin, each highlighting aspects of migratory experiences. Starting September 8th, the monument will be accessible at the following locations: Kottbusser Tor, Hauptbahnhof (Washington Platz), Friedrichstraße (Tränenpalast), and Alexanderplatz. The Monuments AR app can be downloaded by scanning the QR code or visiting here .

All events are free and open to the public. 

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Contributors: Amr Karkout, Azmi Recep Özdaş, El Yusser Sebihi, Emrah Gokmen, Joanna Vasquez Arong, Lina Mazenett & David Quiroga (Collective Mazenett Quiroga), Mikhela Bayes, Ronnie Vitalia, Umi Maisaroh, Zilan Sarah Kössler * Guest Speakers & Performers Ibou Coulibaly Diop, Assaf Gruber, Yvonne Sembene, Caspar Weimann, Nora Al-Badri, Ghayath Almadhoun, Eyk Kauly * Choreographer Zeina Hanna * Sound Design & Music Nour Sokhon * Coordinator & Social Media TingAn Ying * Press & PR María Inés Plaza Lazo, Bettina Bonia  * Project Assistant Ikram Labouini * Application Programmer Farhan Khaled * Documentation   Karam Ghossein * Graphic Design arc Gestaltung * Production Anne-Louise Frei * Artistic Director & Curator Siska * Artistic Director & AR Mikala Hyldig Dal * Dramaturg & Curator Emanuele Valariano