Digital memorial book

The German Bundestag commemorates those members of the German armed forces who have died while being deployed abroad in a digital memorial book. It was inaugurated in front of the meeting room of the Defence Committee in the Paul-Löbe-Haus. Our studio was involved in the conception and design of the location, the presentation medium and its digital application.

For the transition of the analogue memorial book into a digital medium, the classic motif of an open book was used by means of a portrait-format touchscreen. The aim was to find a form of presentation suitable for commemoration and appreciation. A monolithic, heavy black cube contrasts with the floating, inclined, bronze-coloured screen. Restrained lighting creates a transcendent character. The formal analogies to a high-quality bound book with a cover were chosen deliberately. The digital application shows a section of the “list” of deceased persons, sorted vertically according to the date of death. The display can be scrolled and search options can befaded in. Muted animations support the self-explanatory functions. The calm and puristic layout completes the high-quality, timeless appearance of the installation, far from false exaggerations or fashionable quotations.