Installation at the Brandenburg Gate
The sky over Berlin
If you follow the current debates on the subject of German unity, the understanding between East and West still leaves something to be desired. On the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall, these wishes can now at least float around with a very present in public space. Together with the US artist Patrick Shearn, Kulturprojekte Berlin claims to have collected 30,000 messages that were created at workshops and festivals and written on ribbons of different colors. Those wishing to communicate could also send in their thoughts on the fall of the Berlin Wall in 140 characters online .
A total of around 100,000 strips of canvas hang like a colorful cloud over the Straße des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate until November 10th – where the iconic images of people celebrating on the Wall were made in 1989, which are reflected in the collective memory have burned in. The installation is called “Visions in Motion”. “All the messages we got were serious arguments about the subject,” says artist Patrick Shearn. “A lot of joy, a lot of hope, but also a lot of anger. According to the motto: ‘We should have taken the stones of the wall and smashed the windows with them.'”
Shearn says that he was inspired by the swarming behavior of fish and birds for the gently rustling installation. The project is part of the Berliner Festwoche for the fall of the Berlin Wall. Over 200 events will take place at seven original locations .