masha wysocka - Salle des pas perdus

Salle des pas perdus, 2023

It is a sound piece and performance recorded at the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum. The institution is located at the historical venue of the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) on 8/9 May 1945.

I created this piece along with Jeremy Knowles. I recorded Jeremy's footsteps in the room where Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and France signed the German Instrument of Surrender. This document, also known as 'Unconditional Capitulation of the Wehrmacht,' put an end to World War II in Europe.

The project aims to render homage to millions of war victims. Its title 'Salle des pas perdus' could be translated as 'the Room of the Lost Steps'. By recording the sound of footsteps, we wanted to remember these people. We also are keen to draw attention to the 'cracks of history' through the noise of the parquet and reflect on them individually. The parquet happens to be the only 'survived witness' to the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces.