Private Memory in Public Space

Abstract

Commemoration in public space is usually associated with the creation of official objects related to important events or individuals, most often in the form of monuments or plaques. In the paper, the author considers alternative forms of commemoration which, by existing in the social space, invade privacy, taking into account not only artistic activities such as Stolpersteine/Gunter Demnig’s “stumbling stones” but also, for example, candles or flowers at accident sites. So, the author examines non-monumental forms of commemoration and considers the questions related to the reception of these objects, including their penetration into common cultural spaces.