Status Quo Ladder 2018 - 2021

An agreement on nine religious sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem is called the Status Quo in the Holy Places (short: Status Quo). It regulates the division of ownership and responsibility and stipulates that no changes can be made to the sites without the consensus of all communities included in the regulation. A visible symbol for the effects of the agreement is the so-called Status Quo Ladder on the outer facade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It has been standing in the same place for over 290 years and – even if it has no function – based on the Status Quo it is not allowed to move it.

Since 2018 I have been installing ladders that follow the example of the Status Quo Ladder. This creates site-specific installations that create their own narrative through the individual intervention. The ongoing intervention includes historical, architectural and biographical aspects. I have now carried out it in eight countries on three continents and documented it with photographs.

Credits:
places: Jerusalem, Kharkiv, Kulen Vakuf, Tel Aviv, Offenbach, Cologne, Bogota, Ambalema, Giessen, Müllrose, Trondheim, Jeju, Bergamo, Siegburg, Berlin // acknowledgement: Sophia Igel, Rachel Herter, Juliane Kutter, Zinitschka, Ado, Deborah Nerlich, Lisa Nürnberger, Jan Paul Müller, Max Brück, Katie Gaj, Malte Möller, Anna Boldt, Joëlle Pidoux, Linda Weiß, Lea Kulens, Eric Reh, Martin Kähler, Nils Altland, Clemens Behr