Since we had already been to Western Denmark for core course week last semester, the full year design kids traveled to Berlin during the second semester instead. The full year AD group is all CalPoly students, save for myself and two others. Everyone was friendly and open as usual, however, and I actually felt more comfortable surrounded by full year students rather than newcomers. This was surprising to me, but made a lot of sense. Absent was the awkwardness that comes with meeting new people and the trying-too-hard that emerges when people try to expel too much of their personality into those first impression meetings. As full year students, we are more comfortable with how we fit into DIS, into Copenhagen, and to each other.
It was also really nice that DIS recognized that we had done this before, and treated us as such. Maybe we’re now just used to the routine, but the days felt less packed with activities, and we had more free time that we were confident to use independently.
The activities DIS did plan, however, were excellent as usual. Berlin has a heavy history that sometimes seems as odds with the vibrancy of the alternative scene, but it less complexity to the city and makes for a diverse experience. We stayed in the inner city, in the neighborhood known as Mitte (for middle). We visited the Scandinavian consulates, and as temporary residents of Denmark, we were allowed to go inside the Danish consulate building for a quick tour. The architecture of the five buildings were modern and cohesive, but distinct to each countries’ unique characteristics (such as natural resources) and design aesthetics.
The most solemn of our visits was to the Jewish Museum. The architecture of the museum is deeply symbolic and well thought-out, particularly the Libeskind Building. Three axes cross the building, representing three historical developments of Jewish life in Germany: the Axis of Exile, the Axis of the Holocaust, and the Axis of Continuity, which leads to a steep staircase up to the rest of the museum.
The museum featured two exhibits. The first was whimsical, called “A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew…,” playing on the “x y and z walk into a bar” joke, but instead depicting the three religious men identically, experiencing everyday or not-so-everyday events or situations. The purpose, I think, was to highlight the similarities of men of different religions– they see and experience so many things the same way, despite their differing beliefs.
The second exhibit contrasted greatly, conveying a far more stoic atmosphere.
"The installation Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves) by Menashe Kadishman can be found in the Memory Void, one of the symbolic spaces on the ground level of the Libeskind building. The floor of the void is covered by more than ten thousand faces with open mouths, cut from heavy round iron plates.”
Visitors were allowed to cross the room, stepping on each of the metal plates. The sounds of our footsteps echoed throughout the room and beyond to the museum, serving as a metaphor for the echoing impact the events of the Holocaust had on the world, and especially on Jewish culture and history.
After the 3-day DIS trip, I stayed for 2 days longer with a friend. It was a bit of a gamble to plan a trip with a friend I didn’t know super well, but we have similar interests and enjoy each others company. It ended up being a great decision, as we travel well together as well, neither of us having any lasting stress or disagreements.
Joseph and I also made time to visit the Altes Museum, an incredible experience after learning so much about the buildings history in my modern architecture class last spring. The Greek, Roman and Etruscan art collections it housed was well curated and designed (of course).
We also walked the entire length of the East Side Gallery, the part of the Berlin wall dedicated to street art. While street art isn’t my favorite, the political and social themes addressed and challenged in the work were uplifting to see. With the current global political climate, its worrying to see the present mirroring some of the darker periods of human history. Somehow, we are turning a blind eye to the glaring similarities in intolerant rhetoric. Seeing Berlin acknowledge and pay homage to those hurt by their mistakes make me hopeful that we haven’t forgotten the past, and it can help us prevent a dark future.