Category: Blog Posts
-
London Fashion Week SS13: Dapper Dudes
2 Responses to “London Fashion Week SS13: Dapper Dudes”
-
Papaerk says:
Well done excellant work !!!
-
That guy’s jacket looks distinctly Bavarian. Especially with those buttons.
-
-
London Fashion Week SS13: Cosmic Girl
One Response to “London Fashion Week SS13: Cosmic Girl”
-
Wow what an outfit wonderful”!!!!
-
-
Hohenschönhausen Prison
Category: Blog PostsSeptember 9, 2012
Ashley Ludaescher visits the DDR prison Hohenschönhausen and hears the first-hand testimony of a former prisoner.
Living in a city that has seen such dramatic change within my lifetime has turned me into a bit of a history nerd. I read (and loved) Anna Funder’s book Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, which describes the role the Stasi secret police played in the lives of East German citizens. One of the women interviewed in Stasiland had been arrested and taken to Hohenschönhausen Prison, which immediately leapt to the top of my list of places to see here in Berlin.
Hohenschönhausen Prison is located in Lichtenberg, in the far east of the city, smack dab in the middle of a neighbourhood. From the tram stop, there are no signs leading to the prison, no tourists, and without knowing where you are going, you might not find it. During the years in which the prison was in use, the streets were blocked off to create a restricted area, and residents most likely did not know what lay behind the walls.
The woman interviewed in Stasiland had no idea that the prison in which she was imprisoned was inside of Berlin. When prisoners were captured, they were driven around in a windowless truck (disguised as a delivery truck) for hours to distort their sense of direction, so that only after they were released did they realise they were still within the city of East Berlin. Prisoners were kept in complete isolation with absolutely no personal belongings and had no contact with anyone other than the prison guards; I cannot even begin to imagine how horrible that must have been.
The guided tours of the prison are given by people who were once prisoners at Hohenschönhausen, and our guide’s story completely blew me away. He had tried to escape East Germany by traveling to Prague and crossing the border into Bavaria, which at the time was in West Germany. He was caught and sent to numerous prisons, including Hohenschönhausen. Years after his release he discovered that his father was an informer for the Stasi and had been the one who alerted the secret police about his plan to escape. My mother-in-law asked him, “why don’t you leave East Berlin? Isn’t it painful to stay here and relive your experience?” His response was that he stayed and worked to make sure people do not forget the past, which must surely be therapeutic as well.
Certainly I am no expert, but the tour really ignited my interest in German history and specifically that of the DDR. I really want to go back to take the tour in English so I can understand 100% of the information given – understanding everything from the German tour was….. difficult (afterwards I had to discuss everything with my husband in English to make sure I understood it all). For more (and much better) images, check out the work of Philipp Lohöfener who was granted special access to photograph the prison, and created a wonderful series of images.
Ashley Ludaescher is a California girl living the expat life in Berlin. She is a photographer, proud mother of Olive’s BFF – the beautiful Hazel Blue – and she blogs at Chasing Heartbeats, where this article originally appeared. All words and images her own.
-
Change of View: Berlin
Change of View is a photo documentary article series that captures a personal view on the status quo of our cities. This article compares the view of Berlin by a local photographer and a foreign photographer, who then collaborated on two pictures. Enjoy this visual dialogue between Berlin photographer Marcus Werner and Copenhagen photographer Caroline Kurze. This article originally appeared on Smart Urban Stage.
1. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY IN THIS CITY?
LOCAL
Discovering the secrets of the cityBerlin is a vast city with a ton of obvious things to like about it. What makes us happy though are not the elements that are on the surface but those which lie beneath it. Berlin is host to many secrets, from a cultural to a visual perspective. There are endless possibilities of exploring the many sides of a city. It’s all about seeing the details and interpreting them for ourselves. We appreciate how many different facets Berlin has to offer in that way.
VISITOR
The faces of BerlinAny city shows its true face by the way its citizens look and behave. Berlin is a melting pot of styles and characters. There is no way to sum them up, just like there is no way to sum up Berlin properly. What makes me happy is that I can just sit anywhere in Berlin and watch who passes me by, realizing that never will there be two characters even remotely alike.
2. WHAT INSPIRES YOU IN THIS CITY?
LOCAL
Making something out of nothingBerlin has many leftover spaces that have once been abandoned and forgotten. But there is a movement within the people of the city to use these places creatively and form them into something useful. It’s very inspiring to see what a small idea of a few people can achieve here and what motivates the individual to participate in the work. The Prinzessinnengarten at Moritzplatz in Kreuzberg, an urban gardening project, is a perfect example for that.
VISITOR
Composition of the cityArchitecture is the most visually compelling element of a city, but Berlin basically draws you into it by its many contrasts and dichotomies. Behind every corner could lie the perfect shot and a most mesmerizing composition. For a photographer, that in itself is very inspiring; but I do believe that every person can actually profit, inspiration-wise, from a place that is as erratic as Berlin.
3. WHAT WORKS FOR YOU VERY WELL IN THIS CITY?
LOCAL
Youth CultureIf there’s one thing in Berlin that works, then youth culture it is. Every kid in the streets from Charlottenburg to Kreuzberg has the luck to grow up in a liberal and overall peaceful environment, thus enabling everyone from a young age on to participate in the shaping of the city. The Admiralsbrücke in Kreuzberg is, next to the vivid club scene, just one of those organically grown spots to hang out in the summer. Always packed with young adults, from the sporadic tourist to the local singer/songwriter presenting their talent, this is only possible thanks to the lax laws about drinking in public and the people’s general openess towards youths.
VISITOR
Public TransportNo doubt: Berlin is a huge place to get around. Besides a very comfortable traffic situation for all the passionate bikers, for a tourist the public transport possibilities are probably the most important. And thus, compared to many other big cities in the world, Berlin exceeds all expectations: buses go all night, hardly any train is late and the condition of the platforms are usually high quality. Logistically, this is probably what makes Berlin an easy place to visit as well.
4. WHAT WOULD YOU DO BETTER?
LOCAL
Challenging ChangesAfter the relocation of the old YAAM club the place at Cuvrystr. is abandoned since. But in Berlin this doesn´t mean that it’s empty. To the contrary it gets used now as a nice chillout spot alongside the Spree river with a perfect view on the historic Oberbaumbrücke. You can find open air raves there as well as Barbecues or a graffiti wall of fame. It’s a free spot just how Berlinians like it.
VISITOR
Weather & WaterThe old Tempelhof airport is a raw diamond in the heart of the city. With the size of New York’s Central Park everybody is curious about how the area will develop in the next years. Until then it´s a perfect hangout spot for the summer with a lot of possibilities for outdoor activities and a nice open view.
5. HOW WOULD YOU DO IT BETTER?
LOCAL
More water, and more nice weatherIt would be cheeky to ask for a lot more than Berlin has already to offer. And yet there are exactly two things that seperate Berlin from a near state of perfection: more water, and more nice weather. The summers are short and the water is rare. It‘s unlikely that we can improve the situation by praying for a tropical climate or artifically attaching the sea to the borders of the city. But how about more water in parks and more free access to the rivers and lakes?
VISITOR
Free state of mindBerlin is a very rapidly changing city. With the new influx of tourists and the international hype drawing more and more investors to the German capital, citizens are often suprised by economic and political decisions, for instance such about free spaces. We would love for the people to accept and embrace these changes by getting involved, possibly even defending their city from too many economically driven influences to keep it in its lovable and free state of mind but all of that without becoming intolerant. This general interest is what has kept the waste land on Cuvrystraße in Kreuzberg a free place for everyone.
About the photographers:
Marcus Werner
Local – Marcus Werner aka DT64 is a Video- and Photographer with an MA in Media Science and Intercultural Business Communications. Together with Clemens Poloczeck he runs the media agency SUPERIEST focusing on Production, Consulting and Conception of Video-Content. He also contributes to Finding Berlin.
Caroline Kurze
Visitor – Caroline Kurze is currently working as writer and photographer in Berlin. She just relocated from Copenhagen where she completed her studies and worked for one year. In Berlin she started as freelance editor and photographer at iGNANT. iGNANT offers the possibility to follow her passion for art, architecture, photography and design as well as developing her photographic approach.Check out the Change of View looks at Istanbul, Madrid, London, Paris and Rome on Smart Urban Stage.
Good work!!!