Theory into Practice//Research

Here is a short video of street art featured on the Berlin Wall. 

This video focuses on the East Side Gallery and shows some of the artwork. 

It's your choice//Research

Style 

Looking into an illustrative style to inspire the set of proverb postcards here are a few examples. 

The black and white illustrations with little bits of colour work well as the hand-drawn images are actually quite detailed but their is a simplistic quality that is bought out in them.

The type on the cards above communicate a hand-rendered, playful aesthetic. It also ties in well with the overall style of the card. 

The thin lined illustrations with bright colours works really well against the brown papered stock, giving it an authentic feel. 

http://www.urbanbasement.blogspot.co.uk/

These set of illustrative postcards are very simple but very well presented and communicate a soft and positive tone. The pastel colours are very calming and looks very neat against the white background. 

http://hollywebber.bigcartel.com/product/letterbox-love-heart-balloon

Theory into Practice//Research

Berlin Street Art 

After The Wall

After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the graffiti artists marched straight into East Germany. Mitte, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg — all of the areas that the military had occupied became a new playground for the Western artists and became a new world for the Eastern artists who joined them. Few doubted that the East Germans’ work was weightier. It wasn’t that they were better artists, but that they could express — with authority — the one concept close to the hearts of all people now living in the city: what it meant to be free.

A Case Study: Linda’s Ex

In the summer of 2003, posters of a boy bemoaning the loss of his ex-girlfriend, Linda, began to appear on walls and fences in the Friedrichshain district. Sometimes he looked like a boy ready to kill himself; sometimes he looked like a man ready to kill. Whichever way the artist drew him, his sad eyes always asked passersby the same question: “Where’s Linda?”

At first, people either ignored the posters or were mildly curious. But as both the pictures and messages increased in intensity, they had no choice but to take notice. On one poster, Linda’s ex told his estranged lover that he would be waiting to speak to her at a certain bar every Saturday and Tuesday night. People were starting to believe that his suffering was real. And if his suffering was real, then they did not doubt that he needed help.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/13/the-heritage-of-berlin-street-art-and-graffiti-scene/

In 1976 East German Border Troops begun to erect a new typ of Wall in Berlin, the so-called 'Border Wall 75'. This concrete Wall was 3.60 meter  (11.81 ft) high and white painted. Although painting was not allowed, the complete Wall system was on the territory of East Berlin, many artists begun to paint on the Western side of the Wall in the beginning of the 80s.
 
Artists like Thierry Noir and Keith Haring discovered the Berlin Wall as the world's longest canvas which had to be painted.
Many known and unknown artists painted on the Wall in the following years and the paintings were often painted over within hours or days. The Wall art was not protected, everybody could paint on the Wall. On the Western side of the Berlin Wall the Wall was colorful whereas the Eastern side was white or grey.
 
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the Eastern side of the Wall was also painted by artists.
 
Today only a few painted sections of the Eastern side of the former Berlin Wall still exist at Potsdamer Platz, East Side Gallery at Mühlenstrasse and in the Wall Park at Bernauer Strasse.
 
Painting on remaining sections of the Wall has become very difficult. The Wall at East Side Gallery has been listing and painting is prohibited. The existing paintings shall not painted over, however sometimes artists try to paint on East Side Gallery without permission.
 
At Bernauer Strasse the City of Berlin takes care that the former Wall remains grey.
 
The only sections which are painted regularly are located on the Wall Park at Bernauer Strasse.

http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/art/index.htm

Graffiti artists work on a section of the remaining inner wall (Hinterlandmauer) at the top of the mound at the Mauerpark, a park occupying an area formerly enclosed by the Berlin Wall. Local artists are permitted to create here as they please.

http://writingthroughthefog.com/2011/12/09/the-colors-of-berlins-prenzlauer-berg-storefronts-and-street-art/


Artists featured on the Berlin Wall


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery

1. Oskar: (Hans Bierbrauer)
2. Narenda K. Jain: Die sieben Stufen der Erleuchtung
3. Fulvio Pinna: Hymne an das Glück
4. Kikue Miyatake: Paradise Out Of The Darkness
5. Günther Schäfer: Vaterland
6. Georg Lutz Rauschebart
7. César Olhagaray: Ohne Titel
8. Jens-Helge Dahmen: Pneumohumanoiden
9. Gábor Simon: Space Magic
10. Siegrid Müller-Holtz: Gemischte Gefühle
11. Ursula Wünsch: Frieden für Alles
12. Oliver Feind, Ulrike Zott: Ohne Titel
13. Ana Leonor Rodriges
14. Muriel Raoux, Kani Alavi: Ohne Titel
15. Muriel Raoux: Les Yeux Ouverts
16. Ditmar Reiter: Ohne Titel
17. Santoni: Trilogie-Maschine Macht
18. Bodo Sperling: The Trans-formation of the penta gram to a peace star in a big Europe without walls
19. Barbara Greul Aschanta: Deutschland im November
20. Willi Berger: Soli Deo Gloria
21. André Sécrit, Karsten Thomas: Du hast gelernt, was Freiheit ist
22. Theodor Chezlav Tezhik: The Big Kremlin's Wind
23. Catrin Resch: Europas Frühling
24. Irina Dubrowskaja: Die Wand muss weichen wenn der Meteorit der Liebe kommt
25. Dmitri Wrubel: Mein Gott hilf mir, diese tödliche Liebe zu überleben
26. Marc Engel: Marionetten eines abgesetzten Stücks
27. Alexey Taranin: Ohne Titel
28. Michail Serebrjakow: Diagonale Lösung des Problems
29. Rosemarie Schinzler: Ohne Titel
30. Rosemarie Schinzler: Wachsen lassen
31. Christine Fuchs: How's God? She's Black
32. Gerhard Lahr: Berlyn
33. Karin Porath: Freiheit fängt innen an
34. Lutz Pottien-Seiring: Ohne Titel
35. Wjatschleslaw Schjachow: Die Masken
36. Dmitri Vrubel: Danke, Andrej Sacharow
37. Jeanett Kipka: Ohne Titel
38. Gamil Gimajew: Ohne Titel
39. Jürgen Große: Die Geburt der Kachinas
40. Christopher Frank: Stay Free
41. Andreas Paulun: Amour, Paix
42. Kim Prisu (Joaquim A. Gocalves Borregana): Métamorphose des existences lié par un mobile indéfini
43. Greta Csatlòs (Künstlergruppe Ciccolina): Sonic Malade
44. Henry Schmidt: Vergesst mir die Liebe nicht
45. Thomas Klingenstein: Umleitung in den japanischen Sektor
46. Karsten Wenzel: Die Beständigkeit der Ignoranz
47. Pierre-Paul Maillé: Ohne Titel
48. Andy Weiß: Geist Reise
49. Gabriel Heimler: Der Mauerspringer
50. Salvadore de Fazio: Dawn of Peace
51. Gerald Kriedner: Götterdämmerung
52. Christos Koutsouras: Einfahrt Tag und Nacht freihalten
53. Yvonne Onischke (geb. Matzat; Künstlername seit 2005 Yoni): Berlin bei Nacht
54. Peter Peinzger: Ohne Titel
55. Elisa Budzinski: Wer will, daß die Welt so bleibt, wie sie ist, der will nicht, daß sie bleibt
56. Sabine Kunz: Ohne Titel
57. Jay One (Jacky Ramier): Ohne Titel
58. Klaus Niethardt: Justitia
59. Mirta Domacinovic: Zeichen in der Reihe
60. Patrizio Porrachia: Ohne Titel
61. Ines Bayer, Raik Hönemann: Es gilt viele Mauern abzubauen
62. Thierry Noir: Ohne Titel
63. Teresa Casanueva: Ohne Titel
64. Stephan Cacciatore: La Buerlinca
65. Karina Bjerregaard, Lotte Haubart: Himlen over Berlin
66. Christine Kühn: Touch the Wall
67. Rodolfo Ricàlo: Vorsicht
68. Birgit Kinder: Test the Rest
69. Magaret Hunter, Peter Russell: Ohne Titel
70. Peter Russell: Himmel und Sucher
71. Magaret Hunter: Joint Venture
72. Sándor Rácmolnár: Waiting for a New Prometheus
73. Gábor Imre: Ohne Titel
74. Pal Gerber: Sag, welche wunderbaren Träumen halten meinen Sinn umfangen
75. Gábor Gerhes: Ohne Titel
76. Sándor Györffy: Ohne Titel
77. Gruppe Stellvertretende Durstende
78. Laszlo Erkel (Kentaur): You can see Infinity
79. Kani Alavi: Es geschah im November
80. Jim Avignon: Miriam Butterfly, Tomas Fey: Doin it cool for the East Side
81. Peter Lorenz: Ohne Titel
82. Dieter Wien: Der Morgen
83. Jacob Köhler: Lotus
84. Carmen Leidner: Niemandsland
85. Jens Hübner, Andreas Kämper: Ohne Titel
86. Hans-Peter Dürhager, Ralf Jesse: Der müde Tod
87. Jolly Kunjappu: Dancing to Freedom
88. Susanne Kunjappu-Jellinek: Curriculum Vitae
89. Mary Mackay: Tolerance
90. Carsten Jost, Ulrike Steglich: Politik ist die Fortsetzung des Krieges mit anderen Mitteln
91. Brigida Böttcher: Flora geht
92. Ignasi Blanch i Gisbert: Parlo d'Amor
93. Kiddy Cidny: Ger-Mania
94. Petra Suntinger, Roland Gützlaff: Ohne Titel
95. Andrej Smolak: Ohne Titel
96. Youngram Kim-Holdfeld: Ohne Titel
97. Karin Velmanns: Ohne Titel
98. Rainer Jehle: Denk-Mal, Mahn-Mal
99. Kamel Alavi: Ohne Titel
100. Kasra Alavi: Flucht
101. Ingeborg Blumenthal: Der Geist ist wie Spuren der Vögel am Himmel
102. Youngram Kim    

The Berlin Wall's longest remaining stretch has been restored to its state of nearly two decades ago after artists repainted the colourful murals they created in the aftermath of the notorious barrier's opening.

Berlin on Friday inaugurated the restored section of the concrete wall, which is known as the East Side Gallery and snakes along the bank of the Spree River for about 1.3 kilometres.

A popular tourist attraction, it boasts famous images such as a boxy East German Trabant car that appears to burst through the wall; and a fraternal communist kiss between Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and his East German counterpart, Erich Honecker.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2009/11/06/berlin-wall-murals-restored.html?ref=rss

Theory into Practice//Research

Written Research on the Berlin Wall 

http://www.popehat.com/2009/11/09/artist-of-the-day-dmitri-vrubel/

http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/art/index.htm

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/13/the-heritage-of-berlin-street-art-and-graffiti-scene/

The satirical mural depicting Communist dictators Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker kissing on the lips with true Soviet-era ardour is one of the most famous and abiding images on what's left of Berlin's once infamous wall. Yesterday, however, its painter was shocked to discover it had gone.

At the city's East Side Gallery, where scores of arresting murals cover one of the last surviving sections of the wall, there was grey concrete where only days ago the larger-than-life depiction of the former Eastern bloc leaders' smacker stood. It had been a major tourist attraction since it appeared almost 20 years ago, painted by Dmitri Vrubel. The Russian artist said yesterday he was devastated to discover that his picture, called Brotherhood Kiss, had simply disappeared

It emerged that the mural's removal was intentional. It was done as part of an extensive and, it appears, Teutonically thorough renovation project designed to smarten up the remains of the wall in time for the 20th anniversary of its historic fall this November.

Mr Vrubel was not amused. He said he had only been made aware that his mural had gone after receiving a cheque from the gallery offering €3,000 in compensation. He said he had been asked to "come back and paint another one".

The image derives from a photograph of the two leaders taken 1979. As a potent symbol of Communism's corruption and ultimate failure, the image has featured on coffee cups and T-shirts across Europe and beyond. "I have no problem with the East Side Gallery being renovated," Mr Vrubel insisted, "but I can't simply come back and paint the same thing over again, it would be a completely new picture."

However the East Side Gallery, which exhibits the works of some 117 artists from 21 countries on a 1,316 metre section of the wall, was adamant that the painting had to go together with most of the other murals. The gallery's spokesman, Kani Alavi, insisted that the remains of the wall were being rapidly destroyed by the effects of exhaust fumes and rainwater and there was no option but to give the structure a radical overhaul.

"In the old days we used cheap paint," he said pointing out that the Brotherhood Kiss had been in a state of advanced decay and flaking off the wall. "To keep the wall we have to strip it of its murals with hot water and renovate the concrete behind them." He added that the artists were being invited to come back and repaint their works in special weatherproof colours that would ensure they were kept for posterity.

The East Side Gallery recently received lottery funding for its controversial renovation project and the idea has been welcomed by Berlin's tourist board. Christian Tänzler, its spokesman said the plan, however radical, ended years of uncertainty about the gallery's future which had led to its decay. "Every tourist in Berlin wants to see the wall and the East Side Gallery is the longest bit left," he said.

The gallery's plight has highlighted an interminable debate over the remains of the wall. Most of it was removed in 1989 and ground into underlay for new autobahns. A few sections were sold to collectors. More than a decade ago, first tourists and then historians began to notice that an important piece of history had virtually disappeared from the reunified German capital. That prompted a small but faithful reconstruction of a section complete with watchtowers. Mr Vrubel said yesterday that he was now considering repainting the Brotherhood Kiss from a different angle. "Of course it is not a political picture." he said. "It's all about love".

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/the-stolen-kiss-the-berlin-wall-mural-is-erased-1656053.html

Theory into Practice//Research

Format 

As the publication is going to be in a style of a booklet here are a few existing examples. 

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/

http://shop.inkello.com/product/citrus-slice-mini-booklets-270

http://www.designsmag.com/2011/08/gorgeous-brochures-and-booklets-designs/

Theory into Practice//Design Sheets

Here are some initial design sheets to communicate the concept of the publication. The basic idea is to design a double sided booklet regarding information on the street art and history of the Berlin wall. I was inspired by the graffiti lecture and took an interest in the history of european street art. Berlin is very much influenced by the subject so I decided to focus on this location. 

Theory into Practice//Changed Idea

Presentation re-worked 

After showing my presentation I realised that it did not contain enough theory and therefore decided to change my idea. Below shows the changed concept.