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Atalya Laufer
Spielgn/Mirrotating
Berlin, October 2009
Looking at the clock-tower’s cube holistically, I have decided to activate the rather unattractive advertising posters nearby. I wanted to make it more attractive and eye catching and relate to the fact that this is originally a commercial space. The adjacent posters are orange, depict a feminine blue eye and accompanied by a title and a website address: Pfad der Visonäre (”Path of Visionaries”). Outreaching as they may, they are unsuccessfully designed, as the posters - mistakingly - seem to promote a local optician store. A spot of research however revealed that they alluded to a local non-profit social/art organisation aiming to promote “contemporary interpretations of the historical meaning of this place” and initiating a project, bearing that same name (Path of Visionaries) and claiming to be “a symbol of unity and the cultural varieties of Europa”.
More than a simple conglomeration of social statements, the area around the clock-tower has constantly provided an interesting backdrop for urban interventions. Today, named Mehringplatz, after a socialist publicist, the place was initially created as part of the expansion of the city in the early 1700s and named Rondell after its circular shape (in contrast to the nearby octagonal Leipziger Platz and the Square Pariser Platz). Hallesches Tor was one of the 14 gates surrounding the city, a portal through which people frequented. Later, it was renamed Belle-Alliance-Platz to celebrate the European joint force against Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo. Consequently, in 1843, a typical peace column with a bronze of Victoria was inaugurated right in the centre of the circus. Nowadays, the column stands to bear without its feminine upper half, which has been taken away for a 2 year long restoration treatment. During the war and particularly after the battle of Berlin, the area was completely devastated. Re-development plans of the 60s resulted in the current pedestrian zone and social housing estates by the Architect Hans Scharoun.
Back to my idea. I hoped to find a visual and thematic sense in the “path of visionaries” poster. I was also hoping to create an alternative to the neighbour peace column, which, without its Victoria seems to be a podium devoid of meaning. So, I decided to duplicate the posters in order to create an impression of a face. I figured out that by mirroring the posters, the set of eyes would be alternating in and outward, as the cube rotates. What you see is a humanised cross-eyed clock-tower and “a symbol of unity and variety”.
The title of the work Spielgn / Mirrotating is an attempt to create another union, this time linguistically, in both English and German: Spielgn comes from Spielen (to play) and Spiegel (Mirror); mirrotating comes from mirror, rotating and irritating.
www.atalyalaufer.turnpiece.net
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