The 186 translucent pages refer to the actual number of steps of the Staircase of Death at Mauthausen.  Each is divided into 3 sections and stamped with hand-carved numbers and text.  The monotony of the pagination and endless sequence of numbers acts as a mantra and compliment to the ‘prayer’ comprised of a series of similar-sounding words: step, steep, stomp, stamp, stop, slip, slap, and spit.  The format & design of Mourning Prayer replicates a ticketing booklet common in Central Europe.

 

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Additional Information:

 

The stone quarry at Mauthausen, in Lower Austria, was originally owned by the City of Vienna & was taken over by the SS in 1938.  It was the base for a labor camp during WWII where inmates were exterminated through labor, mainly in the quarry, a concept of "Primitivbauweise" - created by SS Chief Heinrich Himmler, where prisoners were ordered to work with their bare hands wherever possible.

The focus of this work is the "Todessteige", or Staircase of Death.  Prisoners were forced to carry blocks of stone (up to 50 kilos in weight) up these stairs out of the quarry, often dying in the process.