Human dignity is inviolable

This work deals with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and focusses on its essential principle: “Human dignity is inviolable” (Chapter 1, Article 1).

Following the archaic tradition of tablets of law, I embodied this idea using unglazed, plain tiles.
Words were shot into the moist clay tablets with an air pistol. Afterwards, the shot holes were worked slightly for their final appearance. The tablets were then fired at 1200 degrees. The used lead projectiles were collected, and are placed in a receptacle on the floor in front of the installation.

The choice of this violent method of creation points to the cynicism in mankind’s history, in which human rights, of all things, are all too frequently imposed with inhumane methods.

Out of all the official languages of the European Union, I selected eleven, following two principles: On the one hand, they represent the “cornerstones” of Finland, Malta, Portugal and Cyprus, being the EU countries at the four points of the compass, On the other hand, they also represent all the language families in the entire EU area.

Finally, the choice of clay as a material references a central aspect of all living things: Earth, clay and mud are elementary symbols for the eternal cycle of beginning and passing, thus representing the origin and end point of man. The absolute requirement of human coexistence is inscribed into this primordial material.

Fired clay is not only tough but also fragile, thus by all means “violable”, vulnerable and threatened by devastation and destruction.
My installation thus makes a permanent appeal: The inviolability of human dignity has to be safeguarded and preserved continuously. This is not exclusively, but also, a European mission, one which continues to re-emerge in new and changing places and languages.