In 2014, only one key event took place – the ‘Lichtgrenze’. As presented in the introduction, this was a 15km-long art installation which marked the former route of the Wall with illuminated white balloons. Based on the analysis of the dominant signs relating to the ‘Lichtgrenze’ and associated activities (yet again, to be found in Appendix E), the following themes were identified.
The first main theme relates to the involvement of the people and the presentation of the general public as powerful actors for overcoming injustice.
In the evening of 9th November 2014, the ‘Lichtgrenze’ was opened by releasing the balloons. The balloons were released one after the other by sponsors who had adopted them in the run-up to the event. Sponsors were able to attach a personal message to their adopted balloon relating to their memory or experiences of the Berlin Wall or the meanings they personally attach to the celebration. The release of the balloons in this context is perceived by the author as an icon of the fall of the Wall and the opening of the inner-German border. As in 1989, the people are essential in the process of the border opening. The scheme for adopting balloons thus functions as an index of citizens’ participation and communal action. At the same time it can be perceived as a symbol for the power of the people which can help overcome walls and borders, thus communicating a universal message of hope and optimism. Having the general public widely involved in releasing the balloons portrays the people as important actors in the process of overcoming injustice. Furthermore, people were able to cross the
‘Lichtgrenze’ without problems, as walking among the balloons was possible, thus not being spatially removed from the main event (see Figure 12).
Generally, the event was highly dependent on the people as actors becoming involved, rather than limiting the people to passive spectators. It thus places an emphasis on the communal action in 1989 as well as its potential in the present and the future.
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The role of the people and individual narratives is further underpinned by the exhibition which accompanied the ‘Lichtgrenze’, consisting of 100 blue boxes placed along its route, one every 150m. Each box portrayed anecdotes related to that particular location. As the title ‘100 Wall Stories’ already indicates, the focus of the exhibition was on individual anecdotes which are tied to their respective locations, rather than retelling the grand narrative of the fall of the Wall. Although the exhibition constitutes an educational element, it does not focus on the big picture. It is not about educating people about causes and outcomes of major historical events or about providing a chronological overview of events. Instead the exhibition portrays independent stories that gave an insight into life with division. In this way it allows for lesser-known stories and individual biographical snapshots to emerge.
The Western ideals and values that are communicated throughout the event constitute the second main theme. They relate to the notions of democracy, freedom and human rights and are primarily communicated through the balloons as the dominant visual sign (see Figure 12) and the title of the event. The white, light and fragile balloon which was free to sway in the wind can function as a symbol to signify the contrast between the heavy burden of real life with the static Wall and current life in post-Wall society which is lighter, brighter and less threatening. Hence, the balloons create a paradigmatic opposite, the antonym of ‘then’ and ‘now’. At the same time it can also symbolise the idea that the benefits of today’s society are precious and need to be protected carefully. Furthermore, the colour of the balloons and in particular its night-time illumination created the paradigmatic opposites of the antonyms of light and dark (or similarly also white and black, day and night). In an iconic way, the colour white can be seen to represent a neutral blankness, such as a blank canvass to be written upon, but also lightness
Figure 12: ‘Lichtgrenze’ 2014
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and transparency. As an index, white can signify bright light or cleanliness.
Finally, in terms of its symbolic meanings in a Western context, the colour white is normally associated with a sense of purity, goodness and innocence (Wright, 1995). It is often seen to be the colour of new beginnings (Caivano, 1998). Whereas in the contemporary Western world white mostly has positive connotations, darkness and black often signify the opposite such as evil, death or danger (Gage, 1999; Fehrman and Fehrman, 2004; Wright, 1995).
The white illuminated balloons thus signify the ‘good’ in the antonym of good and bad. The author perceives this as a metaphor to represent the contrast between the suppressive regime of the GDR (the darkness) and the freedom, democracy and human rights of the FRG (the light). These ideals and values were fought for by the human rights activists in the GDR and they can now be found in united Germany as well as the European Union and more generally the Western world. The citizens’ movement and associated values and ideals are further signified through the balloons as an iconic sign of the candles which were often used by activists in 1989 as an expression of peaceful protest.
The title of the event is also of relevance here. The term ‘Lichtgrenze’ (i.e.
‘light border’ or ‘border of lights’) clearly refers to German division and the inner-German border. Interestingly, it does not directly refer to the Wall as another possible name for the event could have been ‘Lichtmauer’ (‘wall of lights’). Although the balloons did temporarily reconstruct the Wall in an abstract way, using the word ‘Grenze’ / ‘border’ makes it appear significantly less threatening. Whereas the Wall was an impenetrable type of border, many contemporary inner-European borders are relatively easy to cross.
Although borders between European nations still exist, the EU and particularly the Schengen Agreement have made them penetrable and almost unnoticeable for European citizens. As such, for Europeans the word
‘Grenze’ may carry fewer negative connotations than the word ‘Mauer’ as the symbol for ultimate division. Particularly coupled with the word ‘Licht’ (light) which signifies mostly positive ideas, the title of the event evokes the idea of something non-threatening and light-hearted. Thus, although the title refers to division, it simultaneously evokes the idea of being able to overcome this division – a template for a new, modern type of border which does not exist
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to keep people apart. Indeed, as aforementioned, people were able to cross the ‘Lichtgrenze’ without problems. This way, the ‘Lichtgrenze’ created a paradigmatic opposite; the impenetrable Wall and today’s penetrable borders within Europe making up the antonym of ‘then’ and ‘now’. Nevertheless, it should be acknowledged that there are still plenty of borders in today’s world which are impenetrable. Whereas many inner-European borders have become easy to cross in the years following the fall of the Wall, the borders surrounding EU territory, for example, still constitute an impenetrable Wall-type border for many (Carr, 2012). Thus, while the event title refers to a celebration of non-existing, or at least penetrable, non-threatening borders, this clearly is a privilege only relatively few people experience.
The third and fourth theme relate to the depiction of the city of Berlin. First of all, it is portrayed as a city at the centre of key historical events which are of international significance and have positively changed the world. This is underpinned by interpreting the commemorative event to be of international interest as well as the open-air exhibition which reminded people of the history as they strolled along the balloons. Additionally, contemporary Berlin is depicted as a modern and united city where evidence of the previous division is hard to find. The route of the
balloons followed 15km of the 155km-long border around West Berlin with a focus on what is now the city centre of united Berlin.
People were encouraged to wander along the
‘Lichtgrenze’. Such a walk could visualise where the Wall used to be, which is one of the most common questions of visitors to the city (Klemke, 2011; Senatskanzlei Berlin, ndb).
Particularly considering the vast changes the cityscape has undergone since unification and the fact that only small sections of the Wall were preserved makes a physical reconstruction of the Wall, which guides
visitors through the city, an effective way of Figure 13: The 'Lichtgrenze' at Potsdamer Platz
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showcasing the extent to which Berlin has grown together and overcome division. Indeed, in many places along the route traces of division disappeared and the route of the Wall is no longer visible (see Figure 13).
In addition to the route of the ‘Lichtgrenze’, seven main locations functioned as hubs and visitor centres throughout the weekend. The seven main locations are all well-known places and easy to reach by public transport, some of them popular tourist attractions, including Potsdamer Platz, the Berlin Wall Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie. Facilities at these locations included visitor information, merchandise shops, food stalls, viewing platforms, seats and large screens (see Figure 14).
The choice of main locations naturally was restricted to suitable spaces along the 15km-long route of the Wall throughout the city centre. To some extent all of these locations exemplify how the space which used to be the border and the death strip has undergone change and is now part of a thriving modern and Western city. For example, the area may have been completely rebuilt for modern shopping centres or still be open space used creatively by the community. Furthermore, the spaces exemplify how historical events are commemorated and adapted for tourist consumption. Due to the length of the route of the ‘Lichtgrenze’ and the many local stories presented along its route, Berlin’s diversity is also portrayed.
The final theme relates to the universal moral message, i.e. the idea that a peaceful way of overcoming injustice is possible through the power of the people and the idea that this is the best possible way. This is most clearly communicated through the social media campaign ‘Fall of the Wall 25’. In this campaign, people around the world were invited to send in their messages in
Figure 14: The main locations Potsdamer Platz and Berlin Wall Memorial
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relation to the fall of the Wall and the Peaceful Revolution in order to become virtual balloon sponsors. These messages were collected and displayed via Facebook, Twitter and a dedicated website (see Figure 15).
Figure 15: Screenshot from the event's website (Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH, nd)
This campaign clearly signifies the international applicability of the values and ideals connected with the citizens’ movement and the fall of the Wall and the idea that the significance of the historical events goes beyond the local or the national. It underpins the thought that the meaning of the events can be transferred to contemporary times and situations where people still live with injustice or division, and thus the positive ending of the fall of the Wall can function as a message of hope. The moral message also includes the obligation of Western nations, particularly Germany, to protect the values and ideals communicated, as the white balloons signify fragility.
‘Lichtgrenze’
Type Art installation
Themes The people as powerful actors for overcoming injustice
A reaffirmation of Western values of democracy, freedom and human rights
Berlin as a city of historical importance
Berlin as a diverse and modern united capital
The fall of the Wall as a universal moral message Absent
signifiers
Non-Western countries
Struggles involved in overcoming injustice Potential
audience
Local, national and international
Table 8: Overview of themes developed from the 2014 event
Table 8 summarises the main findings from the 2014 commemorative event.
The main absent signifiers here are perceived to relate to non-Western or less developed countries and particularly the struggles and efforts that are involved in overcoming injustice. The social media campaign, for example, while attempting to be inclusive and universal, is exclusive of those who lack Internet access or whose access to social networks is blocked and might
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thus have silenced some of those people who suffer most from suppression and injustice in this world outside of developed Western nations. The message of how to overcome injustice is thus imposed on them from a privileged Western point of view. Furthermore, the characteristics of balloons floating away and the fall of the Wall which they signify are opposites.
Although both happened peacefully and the power of the people played a role, removal of helium balloons is easy and requires limited dedication, it is done by simply letting go or cutting a string. Helium balloons are seemingly unaffected by gravity and by their very nature have to be fastened not to disappear. Opposed to that are the characteristics of a concrete wall which due to its heaviness is something more durable and permanent requiring dedication and hard work for removal. Thus, while helium balloons require human intervention not to disappear, walls and borders require the opposite (although both are manufactured). When a signifier is interpreted to signify the opposite of its obvious signified, the receiver may perceive it as a lie or irony (Chandler, 2014d), independent of whether this was intended or unintended by the sender of the message. It could be interpreted by some people as trivialising or distorting the effort of the people taking part in the Peaceful Revolution as well as the fall of the Wall, thus leaving this effort in overcoming past and present injustice absent from the event.