I've presented a barrage of material, explaining some of it, letting the rest stand on its own, but really, what DOES it all mean? Let me start with some background.
During my year abroad (are you tired of hearing that phrase yet?), whenever I started talking to random Germans, the conversations were often so similiar it was almost if Emma Thompson were scripting my life, and something that always came up (after the, "Did you vote for Bush" question) was what Americans think of Germans: "Do Americans really think Hitler is still alive? Do they think we're all Nazis?" I usually told them that although I was obviously not qualified to speak for my entire country and that I was clearly more well-versed in the country and culture than most, I was pretty sure the majority of the population did not think contemporary Germans were "all Nazis."
I wanted to write this off as a completely preposterous and misconceived stereotype, but what DOES the average American know about Germany and what ARE the most common associations? Any trip into the history section of a major bookstore will answer that question pretty accurately. The Germany from 1933-1945 has come to define Germany as a whole. My intentions are in no way aimed at downplaying the unforgivable, but I decided to work on a project focusing on contemporary Berlin because I wanted to prove that Germany and Germans offer so much more.
From the skeleton of major architectural schemes, projects, and fixtures in the urban landscape of Berlin, with this project, I launched into a greater exploration of the intersection of art, politics, history, and the media in a largely contemporary context. With this presentation, I truly believe I have garnered a dynamic 'image of the cityscape,' and I can only hope that anyone who is reading this has shared even a small part of that experience.
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