Claude Lanzmann. The Recordings - An audio tour for blind and sighted visitors

The exhibition Claude Lanzmann. The Records makes history audible. For the first time, the audio archive of Claude Lanzmann, the French filmmaker and chronicler of the Shoah, is being made available to the public. Previously unknown magnetic tape recordings document numerous conversations that he and his assistants conducted in the 1970s with Holocaust survivors, perpetrators, and contemporary witnesses. The audio archive was created during research for the film Shoah (1985). It was donated to the JMB and added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2023.

The tour provides insights into Lanzmann's research project and introduces the special features of listening to historical audio sources. Participants have the opportunity to listen to audio recordings through headphones. Attentive listening reveals various aspects, such as the reluctance of victims to talk about their experiences, or strategies of denial and distraction on the part of the perpetrators. Before and after listening, there is time to discuss observations, thoughts, and feelings. The exchange about how we as listeners in the present perceive these recordings is part of the tour. Please note that the audio recordings contain reports of serious violent crimes. This tour is aimed at people who are blind or visually impaired, plus one sighted accompanying person each.