The in-between object and the value of the unknown: conservation and representation at Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Abstract To illustrate the scale of the Nazi crimes, the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum presents in its permanent exhibition piles of “mass objects” taken from the anonymous victims of extermination before their death. In contrast, to convey individual victim experiences, other Shoah museums display personal objects whose owners and stories are known. Based on ethnographic work at the conservation laboratories of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, this article identifies a third type of object, neither anonymous nor fully known: an “in-between object” found within piles of belongings using new forensic and conservation practices. In-between objects provide fragmented information on their previous owners; however, they reveal a mere speculative shadow of a victim’s life. Evoking questions rather than answers, they allude to the partial stories of the objects themselves and the experiences of their owners. I suggest that incorporating in-between objects into exhibitions can present the scale of the absence of knowledge on the Shoah, thus facilitating an ethical encounter with objects of violence within the memorial museum.