The Creators Project: An 11-foot barrier of 8,000 illuminated balloons symbolically redivided Germany into East and West this past weekend, the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But unlike the cold stone structure that required heavy-duty bulldozers to dismantle it, the balloons that made up this installation were simply released into the night sky at Sunday's grand finale event.
7 comments:
I think this is a really great way to memorialize an important part of German history, which I imagine had a huge impact on the generations during which the wall was in place. It's really great how you can see the installation even from the air. It helps to add the sense of scale of how much of an effect the Berlin Wall would have had. I'm glad that they remembered to take into account the environmental impact releasing the balloons would have. I think it must have been a lovely scene when they released all the balloons.
A really touching thought to help remember a very hard time in world history. It was always hard for me to believe there was a literal wall dividing a city in half. Just sounded like the dark ages or some ancient time. But a modern physical wall just dividing a city. Sometimes I feel like WHY have we not moved past certain things in humanity and why do we still do…… But then I remember 30 years ago was the 1980’s, 50 years, was the 1970’s, and what popular culture calls “modern” is only like 50 years old. The computer has been around less than a 100 years in its modern state. But to get back to the story. I remember talking to a women who worked with my father in the late 90’s who was actually in Berlin and actually broke off the piece of the wall she let me hold. At that moment I did not know what I was holding, but I have come to gain a great respect for that piece of concrete. I am glad we remember hard events in history, it should make up appreciate where we are and where we are going.
This is a really interesting concept, but I just keep getting hung up on the idea of what's going to happen to all the balloons after they're released. I know they said they were biodegradable after 8 months, but that still means there's going to be 8,000 balloon remnants blowing around Germany for 8 months. In addition, I'm pretty sure the LED's aren't going to degrade, and they shouldn't be in the environment either. People might like the pretty glowing balls now, but in two months when bits of them are clogging all of the sewer grates I don't think people will look back on it so favorably. I know it's a nice concept, but I really think they could have executed it in a way that wouldn't have such a negative effect. They could have found some way to collect them afterwards, or use light on them instead of LED's attached to them individually.
I remember reading and watching a preliminary video of this a couple weeks ago, and after reading this article, the whole event was a lot larger than they originally made it look. I had no idea how big they were going to make it and how long they had been working on the project. I can only imagine the logistical nightmare that they had to deal with in terms of the city permits as well as getting the proper funding for the incredibly large cost of production for all of these materials, especially considering the fact that a large part of the post was made out of carbon fiber. I do worry a little bit about how the environmental issues were addressed, because it seemed like they had just decided that "it could be a lot worse" and went through with it regardless. However, I do think this is an amazing project and a good example of how art can be displayed a in public setting.
THis is a really cool memorial event that I would have guessed took so long to plan, design, and implement based on the title. Sarah;s point is an interesting one about the environment. It never occurred to me that the LEDs may not be environmentally friendly. They are definitely better than conventionals or CFLs (which would have been too hot anyways). Actually, now that I think about it, are LEDs themselves that bad, I don't think so, but all the other equipment with them (batteries and circuitry), that probably wasn't good.
I loved looking at the renderings a while ago and I looked forward to see the actual installation here. I would be interested to see other photos of the non-balloon elements such as the video walls and personal experiences. One thing remarkable about the project is the human element they have vigorously made a part of the project. This is exemplified by finding people affected by the wall to release the balloons, the testimonies in the video elements, and even the way the steles and balloons almost take the form of an abstracted human figure. It was certainly a huge undertaking but the team seems to have handled it with beauty and respect.
This is a really wonderful way to reflect on such a huge part of German history. My particular favorite part of this design is in the material choices. I love that they took something that was once very solid and obtrusive and turned it into something made of "light and air." That way, we are able to remember and appreciate what was a difficult time without being overcome with anger or sadness. By transforming it, the designers acknowledged the wall, but took away its power, which is incredibly important here.
Post a Comment