Martina Geiger‑Gerlach

Das Parlament träumt -
Ein poetisches Bild des Europäischen Parlaments

The Parliament Dreams -
A Poetic Picture of the European Parliament

Could a picture revive the much-invoked “Dream of Europe”? A romantic group portrait that depicts the representatives of European citizens and key EU institutions like the Council and the Commission — dreaming shoulder to shoulder? The photomontage shows a reconstructed plenary session in Strasbourg. All 818 participants have their eyes closed, looking within themselves. The photomontage shows a reconstructed plenary session in Strasbourg. All 818 participants have their eyes closed, looking within themselves.

The individual snapshot portraits were taken from the visitors' gallery in Strasbourg during the sessions (October 2019 to February 2020), then cut out and digitally reinserted into their regular seats in the plenary chamber — which had been photographed empty from the lectern — until a beautifully serene and contemplative plenary assembly is revealed. The brief dreaming moments of the individual session participants now become visible synchronously within the fully occupied hall, just as it actually appears every day at noon during voting time in the Strasbourg plenary weeks. The fact that such a dreaming plenary session may also seem naive or populist at first glance is a calculated choice intended to provoke discussion.

The “European Dream” probably refers to a wishful dream, although its interpretation as a daydream or a nocturnal dream is just as appropriate here. According to dream research, uncontrollable dreams, and even brief pauses, are elementary for the brain's cognitive connections to think independently and creatively, feel empathy, and act accordingly. Consequently, a Parliament that has to decide on the framework conditions for the “Dream of Europe” must, just by virtue of its office, dream from time to time. And that is why we need images that also document this aspect of parliamentary work.

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