Bonn – Namen und Steine

I wasn’t quite sure as to the meaning of this installation as it looked like some random names mixed with celebrities, but it transpired that this is deliberate. It’s located next to the Haus der Geschichte and is a timeline of when people have died from AIDS and it’s part of a series of similar installations, all entitled Names and Stones, across Germany.

The Freddie Mercury stone, with this installation having been created in 1994.

Ralf Kuklinski, aged 26 years old at the time, wrote to the press on World AIDS day in 1992:

“I’m tired of the fact that every year a few people try and promote understanding for people with HIV and AIDS, but hardly anyone cares. Anyway, except lip service, nothing comes – or say almost nothing. I tell you, 10 000 domestic dogs with an infectious disease and the nation would rage, the animals would not be saved from love.”

I like these projects, they give a voice back to the people who might otherwise been forgotten when only the celebrities are remembered.