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One of the things that everyone tells me when I ask them what they think is special about Berlin is the sense of freedom here. Having lived here for such a long time I often tend to take it for granted, not realizing how it’s actually quite special to be able to wear whatever you like, love whoever you want, work in whichever job you want to – and generally be free in many more ways. But the moment I hear from people from other cities or countries, or when I personally set foot in them, I remember how privileged we are in Berlin.
To celebrate this freedom the city has set itself its own freedom monument in the shape of an installation in front of Hauptbahnhof. Designed by the prestigious architecture office GRAFT the monument reads out #FreiheitBerlin (freedom Berlin) which also functions as a social media hashtag so people can share their own thoughts about the freedom in Berlin on various social media platforms. So far over 9000 people have already shared the hashtag.
The guys from Berlin Art Bang who are currently doing the Berlin Mural Fest with over 30 brand new street art murals all over Berlin got to select nine renowned street art crews to design the surface of some of the letters which include Klebebande, Die Dixons, Gogoplata, Case Maclaim and the blog Notes of Berlin. The remaining letters were designed by artists who won creative contests in the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper and the tip and zitty magazines creating a colorful patchwork of artworks that beautifully reflects the diversity of Berlin’s creative scene.
I remember seeing these kinds of word sculptures that spell out the name of the city in many places I have traveled too. But I like that the Berlin one is different, that it combines the name of the city with the word freedom making it more meaningful, and of course that it’s covered in art, a bit like the many walls of Berlin that are covered with street art. This seems to be one of the many important freedoms the city has to offer: that it is a canvas for artists and creatives alike to express themselves and share their messages with the world. I wish more places in the world would have the freedom that we enjoy here.
If you like the idea as well you should head over to Hauptbahnhof and check out the sculpture. You can see it there until August 4th, 2018. You can follow the #FreiheitBerlin campaign by be.berlin on their Instagram here.
UPDATE: There is also a social media contest that was started for the monument. You can take a picture of yourself in front of the sculpture and post it on Instagram using the #FreiheitBerlin hashtag. The 5 best pictures will be part of the be Berlin campaign and one lucky winner will get a weekend in Berlin. Learn more about the contest and conditions here.
photos: Marco Leitermann
We thank Berlin Partner for this collaboration!
