Field Question- Neues Museum

In Kerstin Barndt’s article "Working through Ruins: Berlin's Neues Museum”, three points in time are outlined as the major turning points or stepping stones in the museum history that bind it with the concept of “ruins discourse”. These three key points are as follows.

1.      The original opening of the Neues Museum. Upon its original opening the museum housed an array of artifacts from a multitude of civilizations and time periods, and the Neues Museum quickly began to outshine the Altes Museum.

2.      The building itself suffered devastating wounds during World War II, many ceilings were collapsing, pillars were shattered and the outside walls still bear the scars of a large number of bullet holes. When the restoration process finally began after reunification in 1997 and took place over the course of 12 years, and was completed in 2009. In the beginning of this restoration many figures and statues suffered severe damage, missing limbs, broken pieces, or were destroyed altogether.  

3.      The final moment recognized by Barndt is the exhibition that took place in 2010 in the buildings Greek Courtyard, in which 12 statues were discovered in the ruins of the Neues.

Barndt, in “Working through Ruins”, postulates that “…no other museum today speaks more poignantly to the relationship between the ruin and the museum” than the Neues Museum in Berlin. Barndt specifies three points in the Museum’s history to prove his point:

1.       From its inception, the museum utilized its exterior convey a neoclassical motif, and the interior’s décor would supplement the museum pieces. Artifacts from Egypt are showcased in a room with wall paintings befitting their time and place. Wall paintings could be from architectural or mythological scenes, and depicted them intact. Their intact states would serve as a frame of reference for the damaged artifacts.

2.       Damaged from WWII and the subsequent neglect, the Neues Museum underwent restoration from 2003 to 2009. Damaged areas were restored, but not recreated thus preserving its own ruin. Chipperfield, architect in charge of the reconstruction of the Neues Museum deliberately differentiated the new from the old. The new grand staircase, without ornamentation and made of concrete is one way visitors appreciate the museum as its own historical object. Maintaining the scars of the museum’s past opens a discourse to the events that precipitated its ruination. 

3.       The Greek Courtyard with the “Berliner Skulpturenfund” as its focus opens a connection to Nazi Germany. The Greek Courtyard features artworks that were originally confiscated by the Nazis.  They were found years after the war accidently at Berlin’s city hall. The “Berliner Skulpturenfund” a bronze face without forehead and detached from body became the highlight of the find. The artworks serve both as pieces of history and art history.

Works Cited

Barndt, Kerstin. "Working through Ruins: Berlin's Neues Museum." The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory, 2011, 294-307.

Works of Art at the Reichstag

There are different forms of art work within the Reichstag, each with their own message and interpretation for what they stand for.  After a tour around the building, we were able to take note of a few examples of this, including paintings, important sayings as we as engineering forms of art work.

One piece of artwork that doesn't appear obvious, but still holds symbolism to the Reichstag, are the words that are on the front facade of the building.  They say "Dem Deutschen Volke" which translates into "To the German People".  This phrase was seen as slightly controversial with the interpretation that it meant this was only for the German people specifically, potentially excluding those who are new to the country.  This gave way to changing this phrase to "Dem Bevölkerung" meaning "To the German Population", thus changing the overall meaning to a more general terminology to include every person within Germany.  An artist by the name of Hans Haacke created an art installation of this phrase; it is located roughly in the middle of the building and can be seen from the upper levels of the Reichstag.  There was a symbolic gesture added to this piece as well: an MP from each constituency was to bring a bit of soil from their area as an act of symbolizing that all areas of Germany would be represented at the Reichstag.

Outside facade of the Riechstag.

The architecture itself in some ways could possibly be looked at as a form of art work that is important for this building.  For example, the dome that stands at the centre of the building includes an architectural piece of artwork that extends into the area of parliamentary debate.  This installation is made of glass and steal, that which is fundamentally different from the rest of the building, adding to the symbolism of the work.  As the mirrors spiral through the dome and into the parliamentary area, this allows citizens to view into the parliamentary debate area and members of parliament to look at the citizens as well.  This symbolizes the transparency that is needed between government and it's citizens in order to be successful.

Glass structure as it appears within the dome.

Inside the parliamentary debate hall.

Glass and steel art structure extending into the building.

Sources: Kabisch, Wolfgang. "Art in the Reichstag Building". Accessed: http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/artandhistory/art/film_reichstag/film_reichstag/202296 on May 15, 2015.

At the Opera

For those who did not come to the opera the 1st picture is of some stolpersteine that were in front of the steps at the entrance. The second picture is a panorama of the upper part of the theatre. The third picture is of one of the scenes from after the intermission. This was a picture in the hallway, we were not allowed to take pictures during the performance.

Potsdamer Platz traffic light

This is the replica of one of the first traffic lights in Europe. Also in this picture is the DB building on the right which is the Deutsche Bahn transportation headquarters. The brown building on the left is an office building.

Changes to Potsdamer Platz

The first reference to the past in Potsdamer Platz would be the sections of the Berlin Wall standing where the wall actually was. As we have discussed many times this references the wall that was in place separating East and West Germany for 28 years. Another reference would be the traffic light replica. This makes reference to a time between the World Wars when Potsdamer Platz was the central transportation hub in Berlin. Keeping with transportation, there are two S-Bahn towers that sit on either side of Postdamer Str. These represent the former Postam gate that was built by Schinkel which led to Potsdam, this was destroyed during World War II. A large change to Potsdamer Platz was the changing of the street called Alte Potsdamer Str. This street used to be a lot longer before the war and is now a short street that becomes a bit of dead end as there is a theatre and a casino. Where this building is there is a square called Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. This is named after an actress/singer from Berlin named Marlene Dietrich. She left Germany soon after the Nazi party came to power as she did not believe In their ideas. She was in London just before the beginning of the war and turned down offers from the Nazis to come back and star in films. There was much controversy by the people over naming this square after her as they felt she betrayed the country by leaving. There are many other examples of changes that can be seen in Potsdamer Platz, these are only just a few. 

In Case you didn't get a closer look at the amazing chocolates in Fassbender & Rausch Chocolates.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church made of chocolate!

Looks like someone was hungry for a chocolate Berlin Wall!

Less security at the chocolate Reichstag!

Finally a picture of the Brandenburg Gate without tourists!

We must be in the East of Berlin!

May 15th mini task

Neues Museum Field Question

Base on Kerstin Barndt’s article, there are three key moment in time that the Neues Museum deals with ‘ruin discourse’. The events are as follows: The opening of the Neues Museum, The reconstruction and reopening of the Neues Museum, and the Greek Courtyard. The opening of the Neues Museum connect with ‘ruin discourse’ as it is a collection of artifacts from civilizations and periods that have ended due to conflict of some form. Whether that conflict was physical such as an invasion of one over the other or a conflict of the civilization versus the elements of their situation. The Neues Museum is a collection of fallen civilization by some means of conflict. The Neues Museum itself is also a reflection of ‘ruin discourse’ as it has undergone conflict itself and bears the scars of the conflict with pride. The scars of conflict can also be seen in the Greek Courtyard. The Greek Courtyard is a combination of the past and the present has Schievelbeins Fries’ "The destruction of Pompeii" portrays the civilians of Pompeii running away from the lava with all forms of culture into the welcome arms of two hosts. The hosts, who bear a resemblance to Stüler and Olfers (museum officials), meet the citizens to take the symbolic things into their custody from the destroyed Pompeii. The panoramic sculpture by Fries reflected the Museum as a place where the lost culture is preserved.[1] The idea of ‘ruin discourse’ is also exhibited through the museums opening as a collection of ruins and as a ruin itself with the scars of the conflict it has seen.

---

[1] Annette Meier, " Schievelbeins fries "The destruction of Pompeii" A disaster with happy output," 2015, < http://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/de/magazin/das-neue-museum/schievelbeins-fries-die-zerstorung-pompejis/ > (accessed May 15, 2015).

Hand stand man

I don't think many of you saw this neat little guy as we left the holocaust memorial, so I figure I'd share him.

Look at me I'm atlas

may 14th minitask

           The Neues Museum fell victim to the Soviet invasion of 1945 and experienced some damage from damage from allied bombings in World War 2 along with the other buildings on museum island.  Though the Neues Museum has been restored to a very adequate state some wounds still remain.  In this photo you can see several  bullet wounds that were created in the skirmishes.  Though the bullet holes hardly threaten the structure the do lead very visible marks. The reputation of the museum being a frozen ruin is created because the museum is marked and that it has experienced a lack of change.  Of course the museum has added to its collection and meddled with its exhibits and embraced modern technology, but it doesn't act like something happened to it.  It barely addresses what happened to it seventy years ago, even though one can clearly see that something has happened.  This by no means a deadly sin, they museum focuses greatly on antiquity.  It would be incredibly weird to insert some large 1940s history exhibit between the Neanderthal skeletons and the Egyptian mummies.  Its reputation as a ruin is not something to be stressed over.  The wounds of the Soviet invasion do not need to covered up, because the building itself is an artifact, it can tell its own tale, it does not require the experts of Iron Age society within to worry about something so unrelated to their field.  The some museums have their location chosen because the building helps tell the tale of what's inside.  A museum I volunteer at, the Bienfait Museum of Coalfields is based within a decommissioned railway station, this helps us tell people our story because it relates to what we talk about.  The skirmishes of Soviets and Nazis don’t have anything to do with the Romans or the ancient Germans so why bother addressing it.  This however  leaves it with an image of being a ruin that has not  reacted to the war since it was shot.  I do not feel it is an issue but, the implication does have some truth to it.