Introduction

“Sources” gathers together evidence of my moves, returns, and shifts of direction. I made it for an exhibition on WALLS at the Kapelle der Versöhnung, the “Chapel of Reconciliation,” at the Berlin Wall monument in June 2017. ¹ The chapel rises on the same spot in the former no-man’s land where a cathedral stood until GDR authorities demolished it for “security reasons” in 1985. ² The curving clay inner wall of the Kapelle includes its detritus. Bits of bright tile peek out from the compressed earth. A path winds around the elliptical structure, bordered on the outside by wooden rails that let in light, wind, insects, and even small birds. This second wall offers a clear view of the park beyond. Yet not even the tiniest child can shimmy through its slats. The roof is poised over the parallel high walls; it protects the walkway between them and the inner sanctum, where daily services commemorate people who died trying to cross from East to West. I was haunted by one story in particular. A couple planned their escape in a hot-air balloon. On the appointed day and hour, the woman was detained: her husband had to choose between arrest and a solo departure. He alighted. They had calculated the flight path for two. Alone he flew too high, too far, too fast. He froze amid the clouds and plunged into a West Berlin backyard, a Cold War Icarus.