BURKHARD SCHITTNY, Fineart

arbeit macht

ARBEIT MACHT
LEGACY PROJECTS 2020

Pneumatic jackhammer / Tripod mount / Air hose
Floor-standing / Dimensions variable

INTRODUCTION
The installation consists of a pneumatic jackhammer mounted horizontally on a military tripod mount, thereby removing it from its original function. In this configuration, the tool resembles a machine gun.

Its title refers to the cynical slogan Arbeit macht frei, displayed above the entrances to several Nazi concentration camps, where it served to disguise the reality of death through forced labour.

Visitors can activate the jackhammer themselves. By setting it in motion, they are transformed from observers into participants. The work makes responsibility immediately tangible and, drawing on the history of forced labour, interweaves labour, power, violence, and death into a network of relationships whose relevance extends far beyond its historical context.

AUDIO SAMPLE