To mark the upcoming 20thanniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Lynchburg College's Daura Gallery will present a photographic exhibition, 20th Anniversary: The Fall of the Berlin Wall Ikonen Einer Grenzanlage/Icons of a Border Installation, to run April 20 through May 9.
An opening reception will be held Thursday, April 23, from 4 to 5 p.m. In conjunction with the exhibition, Dr. Georg Schwarzmann, assistant professor of German and Spanish at Lynchburg College, will present a lecture, "A West German's Perspective of the Cold War," on Sunday, April 26, at 2 p.m. in the gallery.
The exhibition originated as part of a photo-practical seminar under the direction of Prof. Barbara Becker and photographer Jürgen Spiler at the Institute for media sciences of the University of Paderborn, Germany.
The goal of the seminar was to explore visible and invisible remains of the wall with cameras and acoustic recording devices. Included are forgotten remains of the wall, deserted guard towers, and still visible border lines, as well as mental traces of a possible "wall in the head," which becomes evident in apparently anachronistic behavior and attitudes of the citizens of Berlin.
To many, the wall lives on, not only at tourist places where material remains of the Berlin Wall can still be seen, but also in the self-perception of the city and its inhabitants and visitors. The wall remains an icon of the Cold War, of the separation of Germany, and also as a metaphor and memory of personal tragedy and pain.
The exhibition and all related events are free and open to the public and are coordinated by students in MST 302, Museum in the Public Dimension. The exhibition is circulated by the Goethe-Institut Chicago.
The Daura Gallery is fully accessible to disabled visitors. For more information, call 434/544-8343 or 544-8595.