《The Berlin Wall's Crack》（《柏林墙的裂缝》）丨德国

'The World Is Too Small For Walls'

A site-specific art installation marking the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall, created with support from the German Embassy in Moscow. Initially displayed in Muzeon Park for public, the installation now holds a permanent place on the grounds of the German Embassy.

2020​​​​​​​

In memory of this historic event I chose to recreate a section of the Berlin Wall as the well-known symbol of the Cold War era. But I designed the wall with a crack to show that even solid concrete barriers do not last forever. That crack in the wall symbolises the strive for freedom. And I wanted the viewers to get exposure to the Wall so that they can experience those feelings and emotions themselves.

‘The Berlin Wall's Crack’ was installed across an alley by the Moskva-river embankment. This place is popular with Muscovites, who come here for a casual walk or a regular work-out. The positioning of the wall across a narrow alley obstructs the passageway and invites people to go through the crack, which allows the wall to interact with viewers and start a dialogue.

To make the wall look realistic, its texture was carefully created, with cracks, irregularities, real stones and fragments of reinforcement. Moreover, it includes a fragment cast from the real wall of the Moscow two-century house, which was found in the center of the city. So, we can say, that ‘The Fragment of The Berlin Wall’ holds a small piece of Moscow.

It was really important for me that the wall has not only a historical, political and educational meaning, but also a global sense, understandable to everyone. On the one hand, I would like the viewer to feel the oppressive weight of the dividing wall, and on the other, to understand that any obstacle can be overcome.

Follow the Moskva

Down to Gorky Park

Listening to the wind of change

…

Scorpions, 1990

It’s no coincidence that the installation was situated in Muzeon Park, a part of Gorky Park. The Scorpions rock ballad 'Wind of change' is dedicated to Gorky Park. For many, the song has become an anthem to the end of the Cold War and a symbol of freedom and peace.

«Personally, I get different thoughts looking at it. ‘The Fragment of the Berlin Wall’ is something cold, with painful memories of the division of my country, my people. Courageous people have overcome this wall. We Germans were very happy at that moment. And this is demonstrated by the crack that embodies what we call breaking the wall. When you look through a wall, you are looking forward. For me, the Berlin Wall was a symbol of the division of Europe; it embodies the entire controversial European history with all its ups and downs in the 20th century. This is our common history. And the will of the people for freedom, which was stronger than any walls and barbed wire».

Geza Andreas von Gaire

The Ambassador of Germany in Russia