the stasi

The Stasi, the secret police force of the German Democratic Republic between 1950 and 1990. Domestic security, foreign intelligence and maintenance of the ruling Socialist Unity Party's power through a vast network of surveillance, informants, and intimidation tactics.

Having grown up in the Eastern bloc, though luckily my family did not have to experience the psychological and physical terror of such an organization, the aura of this space feels familiar. The silence of these rooms reminds us of the many who were kept here, questioned, intimidated, tortured, and stigmatised for life.