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Posted on 20141120 by MG
The Berlin Wall of Sound
SoundCloud has published a commemorative post for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Berlin Wall of Sound is an acoustic reconstruction of the Berlin Wall.
From a musical point of view it is not particularly significant (it is a collage of sounds and quotes), but that was probably not the purpose. The post, however, has some interesting elements from a formal point of view. First of all the duration: 7 minutes and 32 seconds is the time taken by the sound to travel the 155 km of the length of the wall. Then the comments, which are 107, each with the name of a person who died trying to cross the wall (there should be 120, perhaps some are collective).
The Wall of Sound is not easy to bear. But 27 years locked behind the concrete Berlin Wall were unbearable.
Back in 1989, SoundCloud’s headquarters would have been part of the Death Zone next to the Berlin Wall. We dedicate the Wall of Sound to the 120 women, men and children, who lost their lives in their attempt to live in freedom. We will not forget.
Major original quotes used:
Walter Ulbricht (former leader of the GDR and responsible for the construction) saying a few days before the construction started: „Nobody has the intention to raise a wall“
Heinz Hoffmann (former GDR secretary of defense): „To those, who don’t respect our border – they will feel the bullet.“
Erich Honecker (longtime and most powerful leader of the GDR) celebrating 40 Years of the GDR in 1989: „The German Democratic Republic will exist another 40 years and beyond.“
Ultimately, however, I must say that while it is always nice to see a wall fall, I disagree with the simplistic rhetoric surrounding these commemorations, according to which we have freedom while they were only an oppressive regime.