There are altars in almost every home. Many have photographs. Others are covered in dust. Some are far too tidy. Those are the ones to be wary of. A keen eye will not fail to notice if a shrine is full of life. My favourites: those that accumulate. Just like a story left half-told, layer upon layer of memories that have accumulated over the years. There, life does not stand still; quite the opposite, it grows and transforms.

ALTAR BERLIN – INSTALLATIONS AND ACTIVATIONS IN R17- EXPERIMENTAL ZONE

Altar Berlin is a ritual for the collective exploration of loss and memory. It is a participatory installation so the invitation is to build the Altar together. It was inspired by the relationship between life and death in pre-Columbian cultures in South America. It is a point of reflection in the city on how we – the inhabitants of Berlin – deal with our losses.  Within the Altar we are able to evoque our memories in new ways. In a city where hundreds of cultures coexist, we engage with this cultural richness that arises from the intersection of stories and create a collective space for memory.

#2
LOST & FOUND
Memories that never existed. Anonymous photographs, objects and archival fragments that have lost their original context come together to become new fictional narratives. Detached from their histories, images turn into open symbols—available for reinterpretation, imagination, and reinvention.
By Lisa Siomicheva and Lucila Guichón / 12.03.2026

#3
Spell against oblivion
we weave together words to secure them from forgetfulness.
By Valeria Schwarz & Lucila Guichón / 12.03.2026

#4
ELECTROMAGNÉTICAS
an exploration with analogue audio tapes and movement by Santiago Blaum and Arturo Lugo in collaboration with Lucila Guichón. What devices enable us to invoke memories? Which memories would we prefer re-recorded? We invite you to immerse yourself in a collective creation made up of music, voice, words, and bodily presence. / 20.03.2026