Ice Wall to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall
On 9th November 2009 at 10.30 am, Lord Mayor of Westminster Councillor Duncan Sandys together with Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Ben Bradshaw and German Ambassador Georg Boomgaarden will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall against the backdrop of an 11.5 ft Ice Wall art installation opposite the German Embassy in Belgrave Square.
Schedule for Monday, 9th November 2009
- Midnight – 9 am: Construction of the installation
- 10.30 am: Official launch and picture opportunity (Duncan Sandys, Lord Mayor of Westminster together with Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and German Ambassador Georg Boomgaarden)
- 11 am – 2 pm: Interview opportunities with the German Ambassador
- 11 am – 8 pm: Installation open to the public
Location: German Embassy, 22 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PZ
About the art work
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- Enlarge image
- Portrait of the artists
- (© Maxime Ballesteros)
The art installation “Work in Progess” will be created by artists Manon Awst, UK, and Benjamin Walther, Germany, in cooperation with the company Eskimo Ice. A frozen 11.5 ft high fragment of a wall made out of ice will look as though it is about to crumble and fall. The image will be captured still, freeze-framed, to allow a moment of hesitation and reflection upon what is the continuous process of German unification, a continuum of both time and the German people themselves.
The setting for the wall is a typical roadwork site, highlighting factors of process and time. Within the fenced boundaries of the site, under the theatrical air of bright industrial lamps, a string of subtle, playful happenings will take place over the course of the day that hint at the chain of events that was finally able to melt the ice and bring the Cold War era to an end.
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- Enlarge image
- The Other, performative investigation at Hannah Barry Gallery
- (© Manon Awst & Benjamin Walther)
Creating an installation for this occasion not only provides scope to reflect on a powerful symbol which was once the expression of the political and ideological separation of the world, but also demands consideration of the divisions which still exist today. During the course of the day, the appearance and perception of the installation will gradually change: the ice wall will alter due to the subtle melting process, and external factors such as day and night, weather and passing traffic will all contribute to the peculiar character of the setting. The overall fleeting nature of the installation suggests that boundaries – both physical as well as mental and emotional ones – can be overcome.
