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ART IN VIRTUAL SPACE

GERMANY’S MOST MODERN MONUMENT

in the museum,
In the Benno-ELkan-ALlee
or experience at home

Das modernste Denkmal Deutschlands

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Projekt

Germany’s most modern monument exhibited to public

In 1959, Benno Elkan completed the plaster model of his “Memorial to the Dead of War”, an idea that was born during the Second World War when bombs destroyed his house in London. However, the work was never realized and has been considered lost since his death in 1960. Today, Elkan’s vision lives on digitally: a detailed 3D reconstruction with over 50 million polygons makes it possible to experience the memorial in augmented reality.

Based on seven photos
In 2016, Beryn Hammil, Elkan’s granddaughter, discovered seven black and white photos of the lost model in her grandfather’s estate. These imageless scale or technical details became the starting point for a new, IT-supported project. On the occasion of the dedication of Benno-Elkan-Allee in Dortmund, she proposes the project “Benno’s Dream” to Lord Mayor Ullrich Sierau and recalls her grandfather’s wish to realize this work in his native city of Dortmund – a wish he had recorded in a letter to his friend Erich Leue.

Originalbilder des Modells

zur Verfügung gestellt von
der Akademie der Künste in
Berlin

A strong team and state-of-the-art technology
On the initiative of Ullrich Sierau, Gerd Kolbe, former head of the Dortmund press office, and Wolfgang E. Weick, former museum director, got involved in the project. They were supported by:

  • Prof. Heinrich Müller (TU Dortmund, Chair of Graphic Systems)
  • Markus Rall (Managing Director of viality, expert in virtual and augmented reality).

Both teams worked voluntarily for a year on the digital reconstruction using the latest photogrammetric technology.

“Benno’s Dream” comes true
On Benno Elkan’s 140th birthday in December 2017, Mayor Sierau declares that the artist’s dream will become reality: The memorial will be created as a computer-aided 3D reconstruction and can be experienced in augmented reality – with special glasses, smartphones and tablets. The Historischer Verein für Dortmund und die Grafschaft Mark is responsible for the project and Sparkasse Dortmund is financing it. The project will be presented at the Orchesterzentrum Dortmund in August 2018. On the 60th anniversary of Elkan’s death on January 10, 2020, the installations will be made permanently accessible in the Museum of Art and Cultural History and behind the U-Tower on Benno-Elkan-Allee, where they can still be viewed today.

Beryn Hammil

bei der Einweihung der Benno-Elkan-Allee
Foto: Klaus Hartmann

Ullrich Sierau

weiht die Benno-Elkan-Allee ein
Foto: Klaus Hartmann

3D Modelle

entstehen am Computer

viality

zeigt die ersten virtuellen Bilder den Projektbeteiligten
Foto: J.v.Brocke

Sichtbar im virtuellen Raum

Blick in die AR Brille

Virtuelles Denkmal

Standortüberprüfung im Museum

    App

    Benno Elkan AR

    Benno Elkan App Screens

    The “Memorial to the Dead of War” can be experienced up close – from the comfort of your own home or on site at the Dortmund Museum of Art and Cultural History. Soon even in original size at Benno-Elkan-Allee!

    Experience it at the MKK

    Visit the exhibition at the Dortmund Museum of Art and Cultural History. There you can either borrow a tablet in the foyer on request or view it directly through modern VR glasses.

    Enjoy at home

    Simply download the app to your device for free and use it to view Benno Elkan’s work up close.

    Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

    Artist

    Benno Elkan

    In 1934, 47-year-old Benno Elkan was forced to leave Germany. The successful sculptor and medallist achieved national recognition in the 1920s for his monuments, which focus on people in mourning. After 15 formative years in Frankfurt’s cultural life, he was forced to emigrate to London due to the National Socialists’ ban on his profession.

    Art meets soccer – the path of a visionary
    Benno Elkan, born in Dortmund in 1877, combined two passions from the outset: art and soccer. During his school years in Switzerland, he discovered the game, which was primarily influenced by the English upper classes. Back in Dortmund, he founded the city’s first soccer club, DFC 1895, in 1895, but his path took him further – in 1898 he decided to pursue art and study in Munich, where he made history again as a co-founder of FC Bayern Munich in 1900.
    A life in transition – success, escape and new beginnings
    Elkan’s artistic journey takes him to Karlsruhe, Paris and Rome, where he further develops his style and celebrates his first successes. His works, characterized by sensitivity and expressiveness, soon attracted attention. However, the National Socialist regime forced him into exile in London in 1934. The new beginning is difficult, but Elkan manages to gain a foothold. Medals, portrait busts and works for important places such as Westminster Abbey once again cemented his reputation.

    Benno Elkan

    Bildquelle:
    Akademie der Künste,
    Berlin,
    Benno-Elkan-Archiv 208

    The Menorah – a masterpiece for eternity
    After the war, Elkan devoted himself to his life’s work: the Menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum that tells the story of Judaism. In 1956, the monumental work, 4.5 meters high and 3.5 meters wide, was presented to the Knesset in Israel as a gift from Great Britain. This masterpiece becomes the legacy of an artist who transcends borders and preserves history.
    more about the artist

    Exhibition

    MUSEUM FOR ART AND CULTURAL HISTORY

    Painting, sculpture, furniture, arts and crafts, photography, textiles, urban history and archaeology up to the 20th century are just a few of the topics that the Dortmund museum deals with. Since 2018, Germany’s most modern monument has complemented the exhibition as an augmented reality application. This allows users to expand their perception of reality with the help of a computer.

    The Museum of Art and Cultural History is showing the 3D reconstruction of the memorial by Dortmund artist Benno Elkan in the foyer of the exhibition.

    You can either use your own smartphone or tablet to view it, or borrow a device from reception. More informations about the app can be found here.

    Adresse

    Museum for art and cultural history
    Hansastraße 3
    44137 Dortmund

    Opening Times

    Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
    11 am – 6pm

    Wednesday, Thursday
    11 am – 8 pm

    Closed on Mondays

    Supporters

    Thanks to all involved

    Initiator

    Beryn Hammil

    Granddaughter of the artist, San Francisco

    Image source

    Archive of the Academy of Arts

    Berlin

    Supporter

    Ullrich Sierau

    Lord Mayor of the City of Dortmund

    Projekt representative

    Gerd Kolbe

    Presseamtsdirektor a.D.

    Wolfgang E. Weick

    Museumsdirektor a.D.

    Realization

    viality

    Markus Rall and his team

    TU Dortmund

    Chair of Graphical Systems, Computer Science VII, Prof. Heinrich Müller

    project sponsor

    Historical Society for Dortmund and the County of Mark

    Adolf Miksch, Chairman

    Sponsor

    Sparkasse Dortmund

    Uwe Samulewicz, Chairman of the Board
    realized by viality.de