Strong symbolism in honour of the memory of the Raid victims
‘River of Memories’, the installation of sculptor Ljubomir Šćepanović, which is part of the programme entitled ‘Freezing Silence Speaks’ organised by the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad that commemorates the victims of Novi Sad Raid, was placed on the Liberty Square.
The installation is made of white rocks, 10 cm in diameter, and structures of rectangular shape of different sizes. Geometrical shapes are made of metal which was welded together and painted black. On the surface of rocks is inscribed with names of the identified victims of the Novi Sad Raid and how old they were.
– This composition symbolically represents river flow passing by the city, and the city represents people. Symbolically, in this installation, victims (rocks with names) are river. Last year we also made an installation using these rocks; those were concentric circles that symbolised holes in ice. My idea is to use these rocks with names of victims every year during commemoration of the Raid for installations, but to arrange them differently – said Mr Šćepanović.
Dynamics within the composition, represented through white rocks, symbolises the flow of life, i.e. a river. The river is a crucial element of the composition given that it evokes strong emotion because it is a reminder of the fact that the victims were thrown under ice, beneath the water surface in the icy Danube that runs through Novi Sad. Metal objects of rectangular shape represent the city of Novi Sad and are placed next to the inscribed rocks that represent the river flow. Together they make composition of shapes and surfaces, which is an artistic view of events that happened on that day. Shapes and the installations represent river (people), Novi Sad (metal objects) and victims (river) that died on that day during the Novi Sad Raid.
We would like to remind that last year, also within the commemoration of the victims of the Novi Sad Raid, the rocks inscribed with names of the victims (Serbs, Jews and Roma) were placed on the Liberty Square. According to Jewish tradition, a rock is placed at a cemetery as a memory of the dead because a rock lasts forever, while flowers whither. The same author participated in making last year’s installation.