Status Quo Ladder 2018 - 2020
An agreement on nine religious sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem is called the Status Quo in the Holy Places (short: Status Quo). It was enacted in 1757 and it governs the division of property and responsibility between the religious communities. A strict adherence to the agreement enables them to coexist. Later adjustments stipulate that no changes can be made to the sites without the consensus of all communities included in the regulation.
A visible symbol of the effect of the agreement is the so-called Status Quo Ladder or Immovable Ladder on the outer façade 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 serves no purpose whatsoever, it cannot be moved because of the Status Quo.
In summer 2018 I began installing ladders that follow the example of the Status Quo Ladder. I find them in different locations and place them in sites that deprive them of their functionality. This creates site-specific installations that create their own narrative through the individual intervention. The ongoing intervention has now (as of March 2020) been carried out in eight countries on three continents.
Status Quo Ladder, Jerusalem, ISR, 2018
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder, Kharkiv, UKR, 2018
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder, Kulen Vakuf, BIH, 2018
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder,Offenbach, GER, 2018
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder, Bogota, COL, 2019
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder,Cologne, GER, 2018
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder, Tel Aviv, ISR, 2018
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder, Jeju, KOR, 2019
Public intervention Status Quo Ladder, Bergamo, ITA, 2020
Installation view at POP;68, Cologne, GER, 2018
Credits:
places: Jerusalem, Kharkiv, Kulen Vakuf, Tel Aviv, Offenbach, Cologne, Bogota, Ambalema, Giessen, Müllrose, Trondheim, Jeju, Bergamo // 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