A blast from the past: proposal by Mikael Askergren (2004) for a warfare memorial in the former fortress and garrison town of Kristianstad, Sweden.
Mikael Askergren: “The ammunition is the thing: the choice between loading and not loading, between firing and not firing, between loose and sharp ammunition, is the choice between the fraudulent lightheartedness of Baron von Münchausen and—the cruel reality of warfare.”
Mikael Askergren, again: “Contemplating all the ammunition loaded and discharged during Kristianstad’s long history as fortified garrison town, I hereby propose as warfare memorial in the streets of the former garrison town of Kristianstad a giant piece of metaphorical ammunition—a giant, metaphorical ‘cannonball’ à la Baron von Münchausen.”
The proposal above for a warfare memorial in the (former) fortress and garrison town of Kristianstad, Sweden was Mikael Askergren’s contribution to an urban sculpture competition in 2004. Mikael Askergren’s competition entry was rejected by the competition's jury.
From the Merck Manual: “Münchausen syndrome by Proxy, MSBP, is a bizarre variant [of Münchausen syndrome] in which usually a child is used as a surrogate patient. The parent falsifies history and may injure the child with drugs or add blood or bacterial contaminants to urine specimens to simulate disease. The parent seeks medical care for the child and always appears to be deeply concerned and protective. The child is often seriously ill, requires frequent hospitalization, and may die.”
Image at top of blog entry: Hans Albers as Baron von Münchausen riding his famous cannonball in a German film (1943).