The question of how knowledge can be preserved in the future has been a recurring theme throughout human history. Without stored knowledge, there would be no cultural or technical innovation – indeed, there would be no future at all.

In an era defined by rapid advances in microelectronics, global connectivity and artificial intelligence, humanity views the future of knowledge with mixed feelings: while some celebrate the potential of global data connectivity, others fear digital oblivion – a black hole of amnesia. Given the often very short lifespan of today's information storage media, future historians will face significant challenges when looking back on the 21st century. Without data storage, there can be no analysis, no remembrance, no forgetting, and no future. Knowledge collection and sustainability go hand in hand.

The exhibition "Forget it?!" takes visitors on a journey through the history of remembrance culture while looking ahead at the future of knowledge storage. It examines the "hunger stones" of early modern times and investigates international initiatives to develop warning signs for nuclear waste sites, signs that will still be intelligible in hundreds of thousands of years. It also takes a look inside bioarchives and storerooms, time capsules and mine shafts. It explains current experiments involving the use of physical voltage or DNA to store knowledge and allows visitors to engage interactively with these cutting-edge technologies.  

Above all, however, the exhibition addresses social issues such as the "right to be forgotten" in digital space, or the threat posed by global regimes to the preservation of global knowledge. Particular attention is paid to the highly topical debate on access to knowledge – who has it, who controls it, and who is kept out?

The exhibition "Forget it?!" was created to bridge the gap between technology and culture. It aims to provide a concise, illustrative insight into current developments in the search for future storage processes with an eye to the long history of information storage. Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, and Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness, will have to find a way to adapt to the digital age if they are not to be swept away by the flood of data. This is also where our responsibility for cultural heritage lies.

"Forget it?!" offers numerous interactive stations and encourages visitors to participate: what would you put in your personal time capsule? What would you like to forget – and what must humanity never forget? Have you already experienced data loss or "memory overflow" in your digital daily life? Show us your very own Ariadne's thread.

An exhibition by the German Museum of Books and Writing in cooperation with the German Institute for Literature Leipzig.

Information for your visit

Address and getting here

German National Library
German Museum of Books and Writing
Deutscher Platz 1
04103 Leipzig

Getting here

We advise you to use public transport.