Page 79 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(2) (2023)

opened, those outline a short biography and
the specific trajectory of one individual. They
comprise a photograph of that person or fami-
ly, a map showing where the person came from,
sometimes his or her route and a very short text
notice, all of which is further detailed in the au-
dio-guide linked to each biography flap.
This individual approach creates a plural-
isation of perspectives that makes it possible
to reflect the complexity and multi-layeredness
of the topic as intended by the curators. More
than often, it works with testimonials collect-
ed in the 2010s, thus from individuals who were 79
very young at the time. If this children’s perspec-
ti tive, which is dominant in the exhibition, is ef-
fective in denouncing forced migrations (which
is the very purpose of the Documentation Cen-
ta tre) by pointing to its injustice and the sufferings
it causes, this approach, however, also nourish-
es the impression of “absolute victimhood” (Chu
2022, 592), due to the innocence of the witness-
es/victims and the fact that their family histo- a visible sign with a “quiet gesture”?
di Figure 6: A biography Flap dedicated to the Ukrainian relations to or involvement in the third Reich,
ries in the interwar and war period (such as the

its administration, its military and/or police
Family Kocur, which was sent to forced labour to Ger-
many after the German occupation of Eastern Poland in forces and even less so in possible mass violence
here (photo: Catherine Perron, 2015) gues, there is a “segregation of macrolevel collec-
committed by the Nazis) are seldom or only
1941. Second floor of the exhibition, panel dedicated to
very vaguely mentioned. As Winson Chu ar-
the evacuation of the Eastern front.

studiauniversitatis

Figure 7: An opened Biography-Flap and the audioguide Figure 8: Green biographical Flap depicting
button on the second floor of the permanent exhibition, the biography and the itinerary of the Viennese
illustrating the fate of the Kocur Family hat maker Paula Laufer
(photo: Catherine Perron, 2015) (photo: Catherine Perron, 2015)