Perhaps you have unspoken words. Maybe you carry grief or long for someone. The Windtelefon Memorial here in Kassel offers solace. It stands as a unique place for remembrance.
The Windtelefon Memorial is a bright red telephone booth. It offers a safe space for memories. People can come here to remember loved ones. They can share feelings that may have been left unsaid. Some visitors simply talk as if someone is listening on the other end.
Daniel Krooß from Kulturzentrum Schlachthof helped set up the Windtelefon in Kassel. He explains that dealing with grief has become more personal. Not everyone can or wants to grieve at a gravesite. Many people want to deal with their grief. They often feel helpless with these emotions. The Windtelefon Memorial offers a new space to approach these feelings.
The idea for the Windtelefon comes from Japan. After his cousin died in 2010 Japanese artist Itaru Sasaki built a phone booth in his garden. It was not connected. He wanted to speak to his cousin through the wind. Following the 2011 tsunami he opened the Windtelefon Memorial to the public. “Kaze no denwa,” the wind phone became a place of remembrance. Grieving visitors came from all over the country. Today there are over 150 Windtelefons worldwide. The Windtelefon Memorial in Kassel is the second in Germany.
A guest book at the Windtelefon Memorial invites visitors to share their thoughts. “In this book you can be sad and remember. You can share and write down your thoughts.” After only six months the guest book filled its 100 pages.
The entries hint at how much someone is missed. They show their importance in the writer’s life. Visitors write about missing someone lacking time and great gratitude for shared moments. Some leave happy birthday wishes. One message to a grandma says “Grandpa is doing well he always eats salad.” The Windtelefon Memorial is not only for mourning the dead. It also holds space for those who are homesick. Some write of the pain of leaving their homeland. They feel alone.
The Windtelefon Memorial is a project of the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof. They work with the Museum für Sepulkralkultur and the Kassel cemetery administration. The city of Kassel funds the Windtelefon Memorial.
To expand the offering the creators added art workshops for those grieving. These workshops are in partnership with the Museum für Sepulkralkultur in Kassel. They are very popular and always booked.
The workshops are three hours long. They allow for different ways to participate. People have made memorial stones. There has been a writing workshop. Most recently people made personal mourning jewelry. There are plans for mourning flags using linoleum prints in October.
The workshops are for everyone. It does not matter if the loss was years ago or recent. Age religion and background do not matter. This open approach creates space to deal with grief.
The Windtelefon Memorial stands as a simple yet powerful symbol. It acknowledges grief and remembrance. It offers a space to connect with loved ones. It helps to process loss in a personal way. Take a moment here at the Windtelefon Memorial to reflect. Share your thoughts with the wind. Remember those who are no longer here.