Reichstag

Ghost of Berlin does a good job portraying the stories and history of Germany through the existence of man-made structure. The Reichstag in particular, has stood through the different Germanys, from the first German parliament in 1894, through Nazi Germany, Soviet Germany and now modern or "unified" Germany. Throughout history, it seemed to have represented different ideologies to different people, and many political regimes tried to use the building to access the heart of the public. The construction, destruction, the conquer and finally the new facade of the Reichstag all were used to symbolize the power and control over Germany. It's odd that as people, we look to objects for meaning and significance of our own lives. After it was partly destroyed in WWII, Hitler looked as it as a degradation of the former parliament, and the Soviets looked upon the conquer of te Reichstag as a victory over Nazi Germany. After the war, when the outer facade was mostly destroyed, it became a symbol for defeated Germany and the project to rebuild the Reichstag represented the passion of the people for a unified Germany. It seems that the building reflects the old and the only way to move forwards is to give it a new look.

I thought Christo's "wrapped Reichstag" was a very modern surreal way of looking at the building. The historical man=made landmark that marked the history of Germany was suddenly transformed do something... blank. I think it forced the people to reexamine identity because it became a blank canvas to recreate something new. The wrapping and covering up the historically significant building did not make the Reichtag insignificant at all, but quite the contrary. Although the physical building was covered, the symbolism of the structure to its people was so rich that it could not be made invisible by a wrap. The transformation in a way seems to fit the country's state of struggling for a new identity. The symbol of unwrapping it could be even more powerful.

Reactions to Edge of Heaven

I enjoyed the movie and it's random events and simple ironies that lead to a rich and somewhat complicated plot. It certainly kept me wondering what was going to happen next. However, I was very disappointed that the story did not seem to resolve at the end. I felt that the entire movie lead up to the characters meeting as their stories unfolded, however it seemed unfinished. But perhaps that's a good interpretation of life. Most movies like this, about the collisions of random people's lives seem to fall in place at the end, however in this one, the characters' lives never collide. I thought the movie did a good job to portray the culture and culture clash of the east and west as seen from Germany and Turkey. However, not knowing the two cultures and histories, I felt like I may have missed out on much of the rich cultural portrayal.Even so, the movie exploredsome of the tensions in Turkey about education, immigration and what it means, or does not mean, if Turkey entered the European Union.

Istanbul's Choice

Reading about Istanbul's current direction in pursuing a more globalized city, I thought of Dubai. I visited Dubai in the summer of 2007, and was amazed at the economical and cultural perspectives of the people. When the UAE hit oil in the 60s, the land of sand and sun aimed to create a new industry that would keep its economy prosperous even when the oil goes dry. In Dubai, the economy is tourism. In Dubai you can find the world's largest shopping mall, 7 star hotels, indoor ski resorts, manmade islands and incredible sky scrapers all for the pleasure of international travelers and business. To goal of the sky scrapers is not really to provide residence and citizens an enjoyable place to live, but to provide conference spaces for important global corporations and vacation spots for the rich and wealthy. I felt like there was a desire there to please the world, which in this day and age means pleasing the West. This new expansion is what the tour guides wanted us to see about Dubai, but walking in more residential neighborhoods where the common people lived, it was like a whole different world.
This paper paints a similar picture, where globalization appears to be an idea for the elites, “cultural liberation progresses in the direction of what suits the needs of the rising elites of the city, in ways that respond to their expectations of higher living standards.” What about the rest of the citizens of Istanbul? I think it is important in this day and age to think about opening up your culture, your city and economy to the world. It is important to be perceptive of what the rest of the world is up to, and how you can contribute. But in the effort to become more “open,” it seems too easy to open up in an artificial way. Turning public spaces to a façade to attract the attention of the world leaves behind the real culture of Istanbul. It would be too bad that in the effort to globalize, the views and cultures of non-elites are not taken into account. I think the paper makes a strong statement when it says that for those who don’t have the means, they “will become invisible, and they will no longer b heard except when they become junkies, deals and criminalized youth.”

Research progress and process… still exploring themes

Germany through Classical Music

Originally I wanted to look at Germany identity through classical music, maybe look at how classical music has contributed to the German images of nationhood and collective identity. I imagine that Germany having produced the main players in classical music like Bach, Beethoven, Wagner and eventually more modern composers such as Schoenberg would find national pride in classical music, and perhaps use it as a platform to reform German identity after the war and after the wall. It would also be interesting to see how classical music was used throughout Germany’s history to define German identity. For example Hitler often exemplified Wagner as the German identity and rendered him a prophet in Hitler’s Third Reich. How did others use classical either as a form of inspiration or motivation to redefine Germany? How was classical music seen during the era of East and West Germany and how is it being used today to form identity after the wall?

Another area is to look at the evolution of classical music and how it has mirrored or responded to various points of German history. For example, maybe look at how WWI/WWII has inspired composers to explore new sounds and tonalities, or how the division between East and West affect the development of classical sound.

I also wanted to look at the role classical music plays in the everyday life of Berliners today. Maybe even look at the differences over generations. I’ve always felt that the average American don’t know and don’t have the appreciation for most classical music, perhaps because of its short history here in the U.S. However, growing up in Germany under the influence of the greatest classical composers must have had some kind of effect on identity building.

I have found some interesting articles regarding classical music in German culture, but I think I will have to hit the library for more in depth research.

Germany through Modern Visual Art

Another possibility that I am still considering to explore is modern or avant-garde art in Berlin. There were many turning points in the history of Germany and it would be interesting to see how artists of today’s day and age, of unified Germany, is looking at the past and how they have chose to express the past. A theme I was thinking was how modern artists are interpreting and representing the traumatic past of Germany, investigating its memories and significance, at the same time portraying present day Germany and perhaps even looking into the future. I think would be mostly looking at visual images and how modern or avant-garde artists are addressing complex issues that have preoccupied contemporary German artists.

Communist Chic

I came across this article from the March Travel section of The New York Times which talks about a brand of sneakers that resembles the style from communist era.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/travel/08forage.html?scp=6&sq=berlin&st=cse

"Zeha sneakers" was a line of atheltic shoes from East Germany that ceased production in the early 1990s, and now the style has come back into style. For those who grew up in Berlin when there was still a East Berlin, "ostalgie" has made communist designs in clothing and accessories popular again.





(Ostalgie: a German term referring to nostalgia for life in the former East Germany. It is a portmanteau of the German words Ost (east) and Nostalgie (nostalgia)(Wikipedia))

I find this interesting, because for a while a couple of years ago, I think I had a thing... an unexplainable attraction... towards clothing styles and accessories that looked "communist." I think it all started with an olive green messenger bag my dad got me for a present from China. It was a new bag of course, but the worn look and the "communist green" color looked like something out of the Chinese TV series glorifying the communist party as they chased the nationalists out. And I looked good with it on. Then I bought a long green coat, and other "communist style accessories" followed. I also remember at the time that many people were wearing Che Guevara shirts. But I drew my line at the red star. My aunt, knowing my interest in that style, bought me a chinese winter hat, but I couldn't accept.




But I guess the Communist style in clothing design is coming back:


http://www.trenddelacreme.com/2008/11/rise-of-communist-chic.html

And becoming quite contraversial:



Cameron Diaz apparently offended Peru residents when she visited Inca city with her olive green messenger bag emblazoned with a red star - and "serve the people" printed in Chinese. While it may be fashionable in the U.S. (I've seen those bags on campus) it was offensive to locals. To the people of Peru, the bag symbolized and idealogy that brought in a campaign of massacres, assasinations and bombings in the 1980s.

"Communist Fashion: CHIC or IGNORANCE?"



http://drnojb.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-is-it-chic-to-wear-commies-style.html

Artists come back to recreate their original murals on the Wall

The East Side Gallery is being fixed up in time for the 20th anniversary of the wall of the wall this autumn. Artists are being invited back to recreate their works on the wall after time/weather/vandalism has deteriorated the original murals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8009447.stm

However, some artists are also boycotting the Berlin Wall art project:

http://www.apakistannews.com/a-group-of-artists-boycott-berlin-wall-art-project-117456

I am not always for recreating buildings or other architecture of the past to hold on to history and identity. Sometimes I think it's important to move forward and create new art/architecture and form new identity. Some people believe that the wall should be painted by younger artists. I don't understand the point of that... those who initially painted on the wall produced art that reflected the conflict/frustration/emotions of that time, having modern artists with no experiences of those things paint the wall completely defeats the purpose of the murals. The article says that some artists boycotting the restoration are objecting to payment or the "manner in which the project was being financed." I'm not sure what the details are there, but I think it would be a great honor as an artist to be invited back to preserve history.

I think this is an important restoration project, not just for Berlin but for the world. The murals express the emotions of the people during a very significant part of our history, and bringing back the art by original artist is a good way to keep the history of that generation alive.