Europe

Keeping the Memories of the Wall Alive at the French Institute

French and German artists collaborated to create a testimonial exhibi-tion called On The Open Wall

October 08th, 2019
Juliette Toussaint, News from Berlin
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Based on a collection of Berliner’s testimonies, the French Institute presents a story "within the walls" about the impact that the Berlin Wall has left on the lives of all who witnessed it.

Since 1949, the French Institute aims at spreading the French language and culture in Berlin, as well as developing intercultural exchanges between France and Germany. With 70 years of collaboration in the cultural field, the Institut français d'Allemagne is one of the most developed Cultural Institutions in the world.

Through the different testimonies issued by Berliners of all ages, the artists aim to keep the personal stories of experience alive. The panel of testimonies goes from the East side of the Wall to its West side and mixes generations together, in order to discuss their common as well as very different experiences.

The exhibition is a visual attempt to "put the pieces together" of individual memories and to assemble them into poetry, sound, photography and textual fragments. Thus, although the wall and stones no longer exist where they used to be, the feelings, impressions and stories are very much still alive.

Through its cultural and educational undertakings, the French Institute ties together the networks of school, university, science, economy, politics and consular relations between France and Germany and thus, significantly contributes to the cultural partnership between both countries.

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News from Berlin