geHEIMnis - HOME secret

The German word Heim, meaning home, is part of the word Geheimnis, meaning secret. Renate Bühn’s slide installation confronts people with this “HOME secret” in public spaces, such as the entrance to the city library in Hannover, or downtown sidewalks. People out and about, on their way to work, shopping, or heading for a nice casual date in a bar, walk over it without noticing – or it pulls them up short, arouses their curiosity, makes them wonder… It leaves them feeling irritated, or moved.

One is touched in an uncomfortable way by this metaphor of the secret in the “safe space” of home.

Something here isn’t right. Irritation, unanswered questions, diffuse feelings come up, similar to the mixed emotions that abused girls and boys and their carers have. Do we just want to shake off this uncomfortable feeling as soon as possible – or face up to it and find concrete solutions?