First edition ofPassion Play byRegine Petersen (2023)
First impression
Medium format hardback in new condition
In an edition of 750 copies
Published by The Eriskay Connection
About
In the 17th century, when the Bavarian village of Oberammergau was struck by the plague, its pious citizens came together and made a covenant with God.If he halted the disease, they would reenact ThePassion of Christ every ten years for eternity.
When the deaths ceased, the villagers delivered on their promise. A makeshift stage was erected, and theSuffering, Death and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christwas presented for the first time. The performance, like many others of its era, put the blamefor Christs agonies on what was considered tobehis evil opponents: the Jews.
Three hundred years after its inception, Adolf Hitler attended Oberammergaus special Jubilee and declaredthe Play a cultural treasure.
The 1934 performance is the starting point for ReginePetersens image-text based narrative that unfolds on two levels: that of the worlds most prominent Passion Play and its inherent antisemitism, and that ofdaily life in the National Socialist village. Postcards ofthe Plays protagonists are interwoven with travelogues, local police records and denazification protocols, gradually undermining their propagandistic function andblurring the boundaries between the solemn stage and a disquieting historical reality.
Composed as an allegorical tale with satirical nuances, PetersensPassion Playis a virtuosic reprisal of Historys passions for propaganda, populism and moral corruption in their shifting albeit ubiquitous manifestations.
