German 'gas chamber' art project suspended following massive protests
14 March 2006
March 14, 2006
Following massive criticism from Germany's Jewish community, the administration of the town of Pulheim near Cologne has decided to suspend the project by the Spanish artist Santiago Sierra in the former synagogue for two weeks. There would be no show next week, a spokesman of the town hall told the news service "Spiegel Online". The artist would come to Germany and discuss his project with critics. Sierra has come under fire for turning the old synagogue into a "gas chamber" by hooking up the exhaust pipes of six cars to tubes that pump the gas into the building. Visitors could then enter the building wearing a protective mask to shield them from the gas which the according to the artist should visualize the situation Jews faced during World War II when being sent to the gas chambers. The Jewish writer and Holocaust survivor Ralph Giordano called the project "a scandal" and asked the mayor of Pulheim to end "the spectacle".
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