Europe, Craft, Storytelling, Cultural Heritage, Visual Arts, Conflict Prevention, Raising Awareness, Interethnic Dialogue
"Next Station: Ukraine" blends a photo exhibition with extensive journalism. In Berlin's subway stations, ad billboards are replaced with photographs of Ukrainian subway shelters in wartime. Photographs show daily life of ordinary people, avoiding the graphic violence usually presented during war in the media. This approach allows viewers to imagine and relate to the emotions and experiences of people in conflict situations, during their ordinary day of waiting for the metro. In addition, the photo exhibition was followed by a strong social media campaign.
Arguably, the ongoing Ukraine war has received ample coverage in the mainstream Western media. Yet, there's concern that despite traditional media coverage, public is becoming indifferent, due to: 1) excessive daily information flow, fostering misinformation and indifference; 2) geographical distance leading to diminished relevance; 3) prolonged conflicts becoming normalised as initial urgency fades, acclimatising people to the situation.
Personal stories from individuals directly affected by the conflict can be powerful tools to maintain awareness, engage emotions and understanding.
Dedicated and responsible media outlets can play a crucial role in keeping the conflict in the public consciousness and counteract the fading of awareness.
By using the subway, the same public space where the photographs from Ukraine were made, 850,000 people in Berlin, both locals and tourists, became witnesses to the realities of Ukrainian people during war, enhancing the capacity to empathise with them.
This type of approach contributes to social consciousness, as the first step to social or political change during and after conflict. It informs the audience about the situation and, even though unintentionally, calls for accountability from those responsible for conflicts or human rights abuses, as a response to decreasing international pressure to take action. By using photographs of ordinary people it reminds the public to provide necessary humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
I think it will remind Germans that the war in Ukraine is going on, people are still suffering here, and they still need our support.
