Despite many architectonic and functional transformations, Alexanderplatz remains the focal element of the cultural history and of the collective memory of the city and a key site for both the inhabitants and the visitors of Berlin.
This square, which became the symbolic centre of the ex socialist Germany, illustrates the eventful history of Berlin. It was once the stage of spartakist demonstrations in 1919 and on 4th November 1989 it also became the gathering point of a million people, preceding the fall of the Wall. Each decisive historical period has expressed its political will by means of an assortment of urban developments arranged around this square.
Together with Eva Maria Wilde they collected a supply of archive photographs and, having met Hubert Matthes, one of the architects who designed the square, they composed their own documentation of the site, each within their own sphere of research. From this Wilde and Mettler have recreated a history and an image of Alexanderplatz, taking care to respect the historical and architectonic perspectives proposed in the various plans.
To complete the historical interpretation of the site, Yves Mettler produces a batch of serigraphs [screen-printings] based on a collation of architectural projects for each period with photo shots of today’s passer-by.