A poignant and inspiring introduction by Christopher Simmons to such a politically monumental and remarkably meaningful art project — On November 9, 1989 I was alone at home watching Moonlighting (or possibly 30 Something). I dont remember if the program was interrupted or if I was flipping channels during a commercial, but I learned from a special news bulletin that East German guards had opened the Berlin Wall and students were tearing it down. For those too young to remember, Germany was once two states. I ran out into the street and screamed. I ran back inside and watched in tears as the news unfolded. For many in my generation, the Berlin Wall was a seemingly immutable symbol of the philosophical and political divide between East and West and between freedom and oppression. It stood, imposing, as the literal embodiment of the so-called Iron Curtain. The Berlin Wall was something we studied in school and paid attention to in politics. Blurry black and white footage of president Kennedys speech played clearly in my romantic teenage memory. President Reagan’s 1987 challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev—president of what was then the USSR—gave new agency to the great structure. The wall was the subject of documentaries and news reports and Disney movies. It was five and half thousand miles away and it scared me. And on that Thursday night kids my age were tearing it down. That was 25 years ago, today. There is still oppression in the world. There is still fear and division. But there is also great liberty. There is great hope. There are brave souls everywhere tearing down walls, or chipping away at them, or catching those courageous enough to scale them and leap to the other side. Yesterday we took our boys to Alcatraz to view Ai Wei Weis beautiful and intricate kites cloistered in the walls of the notorious prison. He designed the installation remotely; the artist is a captive in his country. Where the wall once stood, artist Christopher Bauder has recreated the six and a half mile divide with 8,000 illuminated helium balloons. Today, volunteers will attach personal messages to each. And set them free.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:41:51 +0000
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