Taking perpetrator-collected data—which was originally used by the Nazi regime to identify and intern men held for violation of paragraph 175—this project transmediates the data into a community-enacted memorialization. Paragraph 175 was the German legal code that criminalized homosexual acts between men. Under the Nazi regime, this law was used to systematically persecute, harass, and imprison queer men.
Using cotton yarn, wood beads, and colored pins this alternative visualization re-materializes data collected about the lives of nearly 800 men persecuted in Nazi Germany. This project was installed over the course of 5 days and by 12 volunteers to acknowledge each life through representing individual experiences. The result fosters individual-level audience engagement, prompting viewers to examine the bead shapes, eye the strings with curiosity, and carefully read the names.
The memorial histogram transforms digital data points into a tangible, material experience. The 27 ft long installation includes the lifelines of nearly 800 men and uses everyday materials. Each element of the installation is a direct representation of data points. The length of the string directly represents the man’s living years, from birth to the last recorded detail in the concentration camp records. Wooden beads and colorful pins are placed on the string to indicate the concentration camp and their fate at that camp.
Methodology
Data Source: I began this research by isolating and collating a new dataset containing any references to para 175 from registration logs from three camp locations; Dachau, Flossenbürg, and Natzweiler-Struthof.
Visualization Concept: Resisting the common pattern to consolidate victim data based on shared experiences, I instead used a single line (a piece of yarn) to represent the individual life of one man. In this way each individual person is recognize and represented within the community in which they were arrested from.
Process: To complete this concept, I created a vector plot using Python script within a Jupyter Notebook to translate the data from an Excel spreadsheet into a plot that visually represents each individual and the length of their internment. This vector plot, with color-coding, proportions, an underlying timeline served as the template and projection for the final materialized installation.
Socially Engaged Art Installation:
The project required an immense amount of work and was realized through extensive collaboration and community engagement. A team of 12 volunteers and research assistants worked for five days to install the piece. This project was completed as a part of the work of the Digital Studies of the Holocaust project which is directed by Dr. Nils Roemer at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2025.
Re-materializes data to remember the men persecuted under Para 175 and blurring the lines between data visualization and art installation—this collective memorialization project took 5 days and was installed by 12 volunteers.