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„Mit der Installation „outside-here“ für den Roßmarkt hat Tamara Grcic ein erstaunliches Vehikel erdacht, eine fahrbare Zeit- und Soundmaschine, die über den Winter zwischen Stillstand und Bewegung pendeln wird, sich darüber die leere Weite des Platzes einverleibt, um ihm ein gemeinsames Zeitmaß einzuschreiben, wie es früher auf einem öffentlichen Platz der Turmuhr vorbehalten war. Während das Gefährt die Bewegung der Menschen auf diesem Platz langsam nachvollzieht, durchbricht der Klang den Raum und spendet Ort und Mensch Struktur.“ (Rossmarkt³-Tableau vor Ort)

Mehr dazu bei Deutsche Bank ArtMag: db-artmag.de/de/67/news/tamara-grcics-projekt-fuer-den-fr...

I love this one as it shows both historic lesson and the wit of some genius...

Outside the church Basilica of St. Castor in Koblenz you can find the "Kastorbrunnen" (a monument with a fountain). It was built in 1812. At the time of Koblenz had a French prefect, Jules Doazan. Driven by some patriotic spirit or being a total bootlicker, Doazan erected this fountain to commemorate Napoleon's "victorious" invasion into Russia - unfortunately when they kicked this off...

Inscription reads:

A Napoleon le Grand (To Napoleon the Great) at one side and on the other:
MDCCCXII Memorable par contre la Campagne les Russes sous la Prefecture de Jules Doazan (In 1812 to commemorate the invasion of Russia in the prefecture of Jules Doazan)

As we all know today the French raid into Russia (as the German nearly 130 years later) got stuck and in fact became a total desaster for the "Grand Army". 1813 saw the Battle of Leipzig and in early 1814 Russian troops marched into Koblenz.

The Russian new Russian Commander of the city, instead of demolishing the fountain, showed some good humor and wit by just adding his commentary on the stone:

Vu et approuvé par nous commander Russe de la Ville de Coblentz (Seen and approved (by us), Russian commander of Koblenz) - as historians later pointed out the "Vu et approuvé" was Doazan's typical signature of all official documents... ;-)

I can't quite recollect what became of Jules Doazan. But this monument - among many others - inspired me to study history. Some 200 years after the good old Jules I am a German married to a French wife, working in an American agency and by thinking of it we also have a couple of Russian friends...