The systematic destruction of the world cultural heritage Palmyra compels Dieter Coellen to use his skills as a model-builder to allow people to once again experience what has been lost. His unique cork models, on display in numerous leading museums and collections, have impressively proven that it is possible bring to life – both visually and emotionally – lost worlds using the natural material cork. Based on close cooperation with eyewitnesses, documentarists and archaeologists, the model of Palmyra will recreate the physical presence of the lost original. Like no other material, cork makes it possible to create a reproduction of cultural monuments that retrace the past naturally. The model can make the loss visible and enable viewers to experience it as a personal loss. In view of the enormous symbolic power of the Temple of Bel, Coellen plans to construct this first, with the intention of making it the centrepiece of his reproduction of the entire site. The archaeological stone plans of Henri Arnold Seyrig form the basis for this reproduction. His precise and comprehensive work enables an exact reconstruction of the monument and show its condition prior to its destruction by IS in 2015.
The cork model is to be displayed publicly after a construction time of around six months. The aim of all efforts is an exhibition that reveals the momentous changes of our time and enables viewers to comprehend these emotionally on multiple levels.
Dieter Coellen cannot complete this project alone, so he is seeking dedicated supporters: sponsors who will support this project financially, intellectually and emotionally and thus become a part of the living resistance to unbearable destruction.
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