In 2007 we have made the humanities visible - under the core idea “The humanities: the ABC of humankind”. To create lasting images, special projectors were used to shine giant letters onto public buildings of great symbolic significance in German metropolis. “Human flies” then glued special foil over the letters.

The installations function like the humanities themselves: you have to change your perspective to truly understand them. Only from the proper angle does the whole picture make sense. And an information board explains how the humanities have defined the term.

For instance, across from the Reichstag (the German parliament building), a “D” stands for democracy. And in the year of the EU Council presidency, an “E” for “Europe” graces the foreign ministry. The letter “K” represents the German word “Kommunikation”, and stands for what is hopefully being practised at the German Public Relations Office: communication.

Germany’s largest alphabet made the “Science Year” into an event and the ABC installations developed into a publicity magnet. People from all over the world visited the locations to see the installations. The campaign achieved much media coverage, from local radio stations and newspapers to national press and TV stations.