Mauerspechte: Berlin’s Wall Peckers
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- Mauerspechte: Berlin’s Wall Peckers
ABOUT THIS SERIES
In the days and weeks following the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, a new kind of movement emerged along its crumbling length. Known colloquially as Mauerspechte—“wall woodpeckers”—souvenir hunters chipped away at the concrete, collecting fragments of history to keep, sell, or trade.
Unofficial Crossings and Public Space
With hammers, chisels, and even bare hands, they turned the once-imposing barrier into rubble and relic. Some carved out unofficial crossings through the still-standing segments, contributing to the spontaneous, unregulated dismantling of the Wall.
A Liminal Moment in Black and White
These black-and-white images capture that strange interlude—a liminal space between division and reunification, where political symbolism, personal memory, and entrepreneurial instinct all collided on the cold grey surface of the Wall.
Shot on 35mm Black and White film shortly after November 9, 1989.