If you want to keep history alive, you have to excite people again and again. The Remembrance Road art project was a lively, exciting and temporary monument. The first edition could be experienced from August to September 2014 along the provincial road N278 (connection Maastricht-Aachen), between Margraten and Cadier en Keer (NL). On September 12, 1944, the liberation of Limburg and the Netherlands began in Mesch, in the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten.

Remembrance Road subtly reminded road users and passers-by of the liberation and created awareness in a poetic and modest way. The provincial road between Margraten and Cadier en Keer provides access to The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial. Remembrance Road transformed this road into a temporary Remembrance (Memorial) Road: white and apple-green satin ribbons were tied around 386 trees along this 2.5 km long road. The white ribbons symbolized the victims of WWII, the green ribbons referred to the Liberation theme of the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten. The ribbons around the trees guided visitors on their way to the American cemetery. The repetitive character, the symmetrical and ordered pattern (ribbons on both sides of the road at the same height), and the white colors were inspired by the thousands of white crosses that can be seen in the American cemetery.

Remembrance Road (#1) and Memorial Wall (#1) were part of Liberation Eijsden-Margraten, an anniversary program that did justice to the special fact that everyone in the Euregion has been able to live in freedom for 70 years.

Artist Jonathan Wanders about his installations: "We try to keep history alive through monuments and rituals. But because monuments are built to stand the test of time, they lose the power to actually excite the viewer and no longer attract attention. The same goes for rituals, the two minutes of silence – during the National Remembrance Day - seems to be a matter of checking off. More form than substance. You have to keep people excited to keep history alive and show its relevance by making the right connections."

Remembrance Road (#2) (Official Video #1)

Remembrance Road (#2) – from Margraten to Henri-Chapelle (Official Video #2)

News

• Impressive // Letter to editor De Limburger (NL) // 1 September 2014
• Remembrance Road // article De Limburger (NL) // 21 August 2014
• Remembrance Road Margraten // article De Limburger (NL) // 20 August 2014
• Ribbons as a symbol for victims // article De Limburger (NL) // 20 August 2014

Title: Remembrance Road (#1)
Location: Along provincial road N278 between Margraten and Cadier en Keer (NL). Publicly accessible
Process: May to August 2014
Temporary experience: August to September 2014
Material: Double-sided satin ribbon, white (wide 100 mm) and apple green (wide 22 mm)
Dimensions: White and apple green satin ribbons around 386 trees. Total length: 2.5 km, total width: 20 m, ribbons tied at 1.1 m above ground level
Client: Municipality of Eijsden-Margraten
With special thanks to: Province of Limburg, Zorgbureau Talent, The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Hanny Wanders-Faarts
Photos: Ralph Sluysmans, Diana Scheilen, Jean-Pierre Geusens
Videos: Jozef Houben, Let it Edit
© Jonathan Wanders