Frans Jacobi
City of Revolt
What are the moulds in which political opposition is cast today? What would a workers’ revolt look like in today’s Nakskov? What stories have occurred in the town, could have occurred, or might actually occur in future?
Frans Jacobi’s project consists of two linked city walks in Nakskov. Both of the tours describe a revolt in the town: a historical revolt on May 2 1931, and a new, fictitious revolt occurring here and now, in 2010. The city walks are marked out by 20 specially-erected street signs, which define two routes through Nakskov, revealing a tense political drama hidden behind the town’s prosaic everyday facade.
The 1931 revolt was primarily a protest by the unemployed against the Social Democrat-run town council. It was one of the first signs of the growing influence of the then-new communist party among the workers in Nakskov. For the first time in many years, the police banned the traditional May 1 demonstration and brutally clamped down on the demonstrators. The following day, the workers organised a large rally in protest against ”police terror”, which ended in a riot. The military was brought in to restore order, and a number of people were imprisoned. The second tour presents a contemporary, dramatic fiction, taking place in hidden-away locations in the back streets of Nakskov town centre. Real places and events –such as the Lolland municipal labour exchange and the foundation of the Lolland Civic Action Group – are woven together with imaginary ones.
The pictorial side of the historical story is represented by photographs taken in 1931, supplied by Nakskov Local History Archives and processed by Frans Jacobi. The pictorial side of the contemporary story is created by the artist LM Salling.
The city walk begins and ends at Rytterstatuen (the Equestrian Statue) on Axeltorv and takes about 45 minutes.
Fully accessible.
What are the moulds in which political opposition is cast today? What would a workers’ revolt look like in today’s Nakskov? What stories have occurred in the town, could have occurred, or might actually occur in future?
Frans Jacobi’s project consists of two linked city walks in Nakskov. Both of the tours describe a revolt in the town: a historical revolt on May 2 1931, and a new, fictitious revolt occurring here and now, in 2010. The city walks are marked out by 20 specially-erected street signs, which define two routes through Nakskov, revealing a tense political drama hidden behind the town’s prosaic everyday facade.
The 1931 revolt was primarily a protest by the unemployed against the Social Democrat-run town council. It was one of the first signs of the growing influence of the then-new communist party among the workers in Nakskov. For the first time in many years, the police banned the traditional May 1 demonstration and brutally clamped down on the demonstrators. The following day, the workers organised a large rally in protest against ”police terror”, which ended in a riot. The military was brought in to restore order, and a number of people were imprisoned. The second tour presents a contemporary, dramatic fiction, taking place in hidden-away locations in the back streets of Nakskov town centre. Real places and events –such as the Lolland municipal labour exchange and the foundation of the Lolland Civic Action Group – are woven together with imaginary ones.
The pictorial side of the historical story is represented by photographs taken in 1931, supplied by Nakskov Local History Archives and processed by Frans Jacobi. The pictorial side of the contemporary story is created by the artist LM Salling.
The city walk begins and ends at Rytterstatuen (the Equestrian Statue) on Axeltorv and takes about 45 minutes.
Fully accessible.
Artists:
Christina Louise Jørgensen, med i Tumults sociale motor
Værket har en fin lokalhistorisk forankring. Det mobiliserer på flere planer, både kreativt med skiltene og politisk med oprørstanken. Projektet er en god måde at lære den unge generation om en historisk begivenhed, de ikke kender til, på.
Alice Martinsen, billedkunstlærer på Nakskov Gymnasium
Jeg synes rigtig godt om Frans Jacobis værk. Jeg synes, hans blik for Nakskovs og folkets styrke er befriende. Nakskov og Vestlolland rummer bestemt usete ressourcer. Jacobis værk går direkte ud i den lollandske virkelighed, hvor idéen om oprør ligger latent hos mange hele tiden. Borgerne på Lolland er en stor, uudnyttet ressource, og Jacobi fik øje på de her ressourcer. Han beskriver Nakskov radikalt anderledes, end vi har set det i medierne i lang tid, og giver i stedet et nuanceret billede af stedet. Lolland er ramt af fordomme, og godt nok bor eliten ikke her, men der er ikke lutter bistandsklienter og fattige. På danmarkskortet ligger vi godt nok langt ude, men der er ikke langt mellem Lolland og København. Men magten bliver centraliseret, og der sker en social diskrimination af Lolland Kommune. Jeg kan identificere mig med Jacobis værk på den måde, at jeg også kan se, hvad der findes af muligheder på Lolland for at vende udviklingen. Værket giver håb, optimisme og energi og illustrerer, at demokrati skal komme nedefra. Hvis fællesskabet ikke er med, er det ikke en god idé.
Henriette Spandet Jensen, talsmand for borgergruppen ”Gemt og klemt” i Lolland Kommune