Mansfelder Geschrey, Thomas Jeschner

Diverse social and political changes are reflected in the biographies of the inhabitants of Mansfeld Land. The end of the 800-year old mining and mill tradition in 1990 was a dramatic event for the region. Preserving the personal memories of the last generation of Mansfeld’s miners is one important facet of the works of Thomas Jeschner. He himself grew up in the region in the city of Eisleben and was trained as a miner. For over ten years he has been speaking and conducting interviews with individuals in Mansfeld Land.

The video installation Mansfelder Geschrey [Mansfeld Scream] is based on interviews that were carried out locally under the direction of Thomas Jeschner in 2013 and 2014. Peter Ziaja operated the camera. Jürgen Radam and Andreas Sonntag also collaborated on the project. The installation consists of eight monitors arranged in a semi-circle. Each monitor presents excerpts from an interview with one or more miners lasting approximately 30 minutes. The excerpts have been arranged by theme, including the intention of the work, the closing of shafts and mills, fear, death and the issue of personal origins. The audience is placed in the centre of the installation. Viewers can personally enter into the narrative stream.