FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

56 ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS 11 MARCH ASSOCIATION OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY TERRORISM The exhibition consists of 24 panels measuring 170 by 90 centimetres , in- corporating explanatory texts, 27 ima- ges of works from Trazos y Puntadas , 27 photographs from Madrid in Memo- riam , 16 victims’ testimonies and various illustrations, covers and drawings. THE PUBLIC TAKES CENTRE STAGE Society’s response runs through the whole ex- hibition. Thousands of people answered terro- rist violence with soli- darity. Blood donations, spontaneous assistance, support, flowers, cand- les and demonstrations of condemnation were among the ways people ex- pressed their pain and com- mitment. That response is also fundamental to the memory of 11 March. This makes the Madrid in Memoriam photographs es- pecially important: many were taken by ordinary people who decided to preserve what they were experiencing. Remem- brance thus became a collective task. Something similar occurred with Trazos y Puntadas . People who did not know one another contributed works created from pain, solidarity or the need to express what words could not always explain. The resulting collection makes art by the pu- blic a form of shared remembrance. AN EXHIBITION FOR NEW GENERATIONS Twenty-two years after 11 March, passing on what happened is a challenge. For tho- se who did not experience that day, the date can become a historical reference dis- tant from the human experience behind it. The exhibition therefore also serves an educational purpose. Photographs offer an approach to events through the eyes of those present; artworks show how they were processed emotionally; and testimo- nies allow visitors to hear directly from those who suffered the consequences. The exhibition seeks to remember the at- tack and help people understand what it means to be a victim of terrorism and re- build a life after trauma. It also recalls the importance of distinguishing facts from hoaxes and taking a critical approach to manipulation and disinformation. REMEMBRANCE AND COMMITMENT We hope FOTOS, CUADROS Y TESTI- MONIOS DEL 11-M will continue hel- ping preserve a dignified, faithful account of what happened on 11 March 2004. A remembrance that recalls the events and keeps those who suffered them present. Remembering is a civic duty. A democra- tic society has a responsibility to know its history, honour its victims and pass their memory on to subsequent generations.