REMEMBERING – FORGETTING
On November 9th, Berlin celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Numerous events and exhibitions had been held throughout the year dealing with the construction of the Berlin Wall, the division of Berlin, the Cold War and the peaceful revolution of 1989. The intention was to show society that peace, freedom and prosperity should not be taken for granted, by demonstrating how difficult it was to overcome the wall and achieve a reintegration.
But which goals did we achieve? Have we really overcome the walls, or perhaps not yet?
Around the world numerous walls are still being constructed. We have selected fourteen of these walls for our project. These are walls, which, like the former Berlin Wall, separate and isolate people from the outside world.
We want to call attention to those people who often seem to be forgotten by our society. We therefore strive to raise awareness of the struggle between remembering and forgetting – the struggle to remember something that we wish never had happened in the first place.
People who forget their history are condemned to repeat it.
Together we want to raise awareness, to ensure that these issues do not sink into oblivion, because we do not want the disappearance of these walls to remain a mere dream.
Therefore, we are convinced, just as Willy Brandt was during his speech on November 9th, 1989, THAT THE WALLS MUST COME DOWN AND PEOPLE WILL LIVE HAPPY, CONTENTED LIVES.