If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind experience, take a trip to Berlin, Germany, later this year to see the Lichtgrenze (border of lights). Lichtgrenze is an artistic light project that will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism. At a cost of just under 2 million, the State of Berlin, in collaboration with Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH will place 8,000 illuminated balloons along the route of the former wall. The installation will be funded with lottery money.
2014 Fall of the Wall Celebrations
The Berlin Wall divided the city for nearly thirty years. It tumbled on 9 November 1989. Twenty-five years later, Berlin has transformed into a vibrant metropolis. Throughout 2014, locals and visitors can enjoy special lectures, movies, concerts, exhibitions and readings. But the high point of the celebrations will be the Lichtgrenze during the weekend of November 8 and 9. The installation will trace the path of the Wall over a stretch of approximately 8 miles in the city center. It will run from the Bornholmer Strasse to the Oberbaumbruecke, past the Mauerpark, along the Berlin Wall Memorial on the Bernauer Strasse up to the Brandenburg Gate, across the Potsdamer Platz to Checkpoint Charlie, and finally to the East Side Gallery. An accompanying open-air exhibition will take a closer look at the division, the peaceful revolution, and the ultimate fall of the Wall.
Release of Balloons
On the night of November 9, the helium-filled balloons will be released into the sky at five spots in the city center to commemorate the opening of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago. The release will represent “a symbol of hope for a world without walls” and will follow a countdown, played by the Staatskapelle Berlin and conducted by Daniel Barenboim. A public party at the Brandenburg Gate will then round off the celebrations.
Lichtgrenze’s installation inspired by two brothers
Lichtgrenze is the brain child of two brothers: Christopher and Marc Bauder. Christopher, born in 1973, is an interaction designer and media artist. He focuses on the translation of digital information into objects and environments and vice versa. Marc, born in 1974, has produced and directed many award-winning documentaries for television and cinema. Both live and work in Berlin. For additional information, visit http://www.mauer.visitberlin.de.
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
