The power of artistic commemoration: Sarajevo Red Line

Abstract

Background: Sarajevo Red Line, a memorial event held on 6 April 2012, was organized to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the four-year siege of Sarajevo. An installation of 11,541 empty red chairs lined up in an 825 metre row along the main street symbolized every victim killed during the siege. Beside this confrontative visualization of the loss, concerts, exhibitions and performances were held during the day. This poetic and dramatic event acti- vated individual and collective mourning processes, and created an intensive and overwhelming experi- ence (Giovannnuchi, 2013; Cerkez, 2012). Objective: Commemoration can be seen as a dynamic process of construction of narratives, beliefs and values about the past (Richardson, 2018) which enhances mana- ging a traumatic past (Miller, 2012). In this study, we explored the psychological and social impact and the construction of meaning in this one-off commemora- tion. Method: A pilot case study was conducted, con- sisting of a restricted number (n = 7) of interviews with participants of this commemoration. Furthermore, thematic analyses of national and inter- national media documents complement the data. Results: A systematic description of the emotional, cognitive and social impact of this novel artistic com- memoration will be presented and illustrated by video segments. The potentials and limitation of an artistic commemoration, within an ethnically divided society, will be discussed. Conclusions: Insight into the psychological consequences and working ingredi- ents of an artistic commemoration can enrich mem- ory events, in order to enhance the process of managing traumatic memories on both individual as well as societal levels.