Living by numbers, AIDSmonument Amsterdam
December 2016, Amsterdam
On the first day of December 2016, World Aids Day, the artwork Living by numbers, AIDSmonument Amsterdam, created by Jean-Michel Othoniel has been be unveiled. The monument, a 7-meter-high abacus will count down to the year 2030, the date agreed upon by the international community to end AIDS.
Living by numbers
"This monument reflects our thoughts, showing that the challenge is inward in the face of illness, showing that we must never give up. The hand-blown beads on the abacus are joyful, colourful, even festive, symbolzing hope and expressing thanks to all those who have kept us alive (lovers, friends, relatives, doctors…).
The abacus evokes not only the number of people who are ill and who have perished, but also the number of people involved in the struggle, the number of hours and the amount of energy given over to the fight against AIDS for so many years.
It is also a tribute to the city of Amsterdam, its activity, its harbor, its many commercial and cultural exchanges, its transactions, its wealth, all that has arrived there by sea over the past centuries. The large bench facing the sea offers a place and time for contemplation. It is an invitation to look toward the horizon, to hope for better times.
Thinking by number
Relying on each other. Relying first on oneself and recognising all those who count and have counted. For all these years, all we have done is count: the number of days since AIDS was announced, the number of people who live with HIV, the number of victims, the number of people who have survived, the hopes, the hours of treatments, the hours of happiness. It also represents the strength and determination of those involved in this struggle.
The beads also allow us to visualise the number of hours that have been devoted to the cause. This huge abacus will be a sign of hope showing that there will be an end to the counting. This monument exists so that we may not forget that we must continue to fight."
Jean-Michel Othoniel