- Field Recording
- Reportage
- Atmospheric
Authors: Christian Kälin, Hazal Yüksekkaya, Martijn Vandeputte
This project researches the complex history and spatial memory of the Großer Bunkerberg in the Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin. Although the Großer Bunkerberg currently appears as a typical elevation, the site represents the post-war history of Berlin both physically and symbolically, as it is artificially constructed. The site's complex history includes remnants of Nazi bunkers, accumulated post-war rubble, and the park's design, all contributing to its present form. These historical layers have built up, leaving both visible and hidden traces. While some structures remain buried underground, concrete 'scars' appear at certain points.
During the audiowalk, the audience observes the alternation as they experience these layers in chronological order. From the war years to the present day, the bunkers and surrounding neighbourhood have been used for both military and civilian activities. After the war, the city underwent comprehensive reconstruction through landscaping interventions at different times. The old Nazi bunker that could not be destroyed was covered with the city's rubble. Later, ecological interventions and contemporary patterns of park use collectively created the site's current position.
The project exposes the palimpsest character of the site and its geography of forgetting, while highlighting the park's use, defined by modern ecological interventions. The audience can observe remnants of the past and nature reclaimed as a living space today while looking out over the Berlin skyline from the highest point in the area. This audiowalk works as a tool for making spatial memory visible, for experiencing the social and ecological transformation of the space, and for promoting awareness of Berlin's traumatic history.
