A groundbreaking ceremony has just taken place for the Monument to Freedom and Unity, in central Berlin. The 50m-long (164ft) bowl will move gently up and down when enough people stand on it, and it should be completed by the end of next year.
In a guide to the design, architects Milla & Partner, who won a competition called "Citizens in Motion", say "freedom and unity aren't static conditions, they require participation and interaction".
— BBC
The monument, nicknamed "unity seesaw" by Berliners, is conceived as an enormous bowl-shaped kinetic platform that invites people to interact with each other.
Stuttgart-based practice Milla & Partner in collaboration with choreographer Sasha Waltz created the "Citizens in Motion" monument proposal as part of a design competition.
View this post on InstagramA social sculpture in the heart of Berlin: the Unity Monument is designed as a kinetic object, a platform enabling people to interact with each other. Its appearance will be shaped by visitors through their #participation and interaction. Construction started this week. #einheitsdenkmal #experiencedesign #millaundpartner
A post shared by Milla & Partner (@millaundpartner) on
Originally intended to open on November 9, 2019, the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the project faced multiple setbacks, and construction was repeatedly rescheduled.
5 Comments
Does it fall over and collapse if everyone stands too close to one side (the right!)? That would be a good model of democracy.
just the opposite!
total destruction occurs when everyone goes to the left
HEY-O!
well, that just depends whether you're looking at it from in front or behind ;)
Great project - not sure about the handrails, though. maybe an infinity edge type approach should have been worked out 'cause those things really look tacked on
Looks like a bedpan. The original monument fits in with the rest of the island much better.
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