Locked In and Out

Having recently accepted German citizenship, writer and activist Priya Basil explores the Humboldt Forum from a deeply personal perspective. She delves into the question of what such a building, such a project, means for an understanding of the past and for belonging in the present. This much disputed, contested, celebrated monument now exists-but what exactly does it monumentalize? "In German the word Schloss means a palace, and also a 'lock.' The central question: Can a lock also be a key?"

Series Objects Talk Back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss"