After a two years process, activated today
Finally, after a two year process, the Graffiti Lobby Berlin and the nonprofit organization Urban Art e.V. could inaugurate a new Hall of Fame located at Parkaue next to the theatre „Theater an der Parkaue“ and the youth house „Jugendklub Linse“ in Berlin-Lichtenberg. The wall facing the surrounding park is 3,5m high by 30m long and got painted today by artists from an actual exchange project organized by Berlin Massive with Siberia and Berlin.
This wall of the „Theater an der Parkaue“, managed by the public real estate management company BIM (Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH), is at first temporary, the contract runs until autumn 2019. On the other side of the wall the youth club „Linse“ organizes regularly Graffiti workshops.
The dialogue with the BIM started in 2017. The contact was made after a round table at the Senate (Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa Abteilung Kultur) with some urban art activists from Berlin (Kreis der urbanen Szene). Only two years later the contract was finally signed between the BIM and Urban Art e.V., after many meetings. But way before, already in 2014, the Graffiti Lobby organized a Graffiti Congress with an application at the Berlin house of representatives for more legal walls in the city. This was a call for help adressed to politicians, already 5 years ago. And since the scene of writers and street artists painting on walls has increased. More authorized walls are needed for artists to practice and to connect with other people. Because painting in public is a wonderful tool for social bonding.
After the challenge to get the wall approved to be painted, the next challenge will be the good functioning of that new Hall. The Graffiti Lobby Berlin reminds the users with a sign near the wall to be respectful to each other and keep the environment clean, which means not to leave spray cans and trash in this nice spot in the park.
Other smaller cities in Germany, says Marco Lauber (member of Graffiti Lobby/Berlin Massive/Urban Art e.V.), like Leipzig for example, have more Halls of Fame than Berlin does. And they organized some trashcans in Leipzig, especially for hazardous waste like spray cans, known for being
harmful to the environment. One of those trashcans costs 1000€ and several were financed in Leipzig through a prevention program. It is a pity that the city of Berlin is not investing yet in special trashcans for painting materials next to its Halls. At the famous Mauerpark Hall of Fame, on a piece of the former Berlin wall, only normal overfilled waste baskets are never available for trash. And here many tourists are coming to spray. Most of the Graffiti writers take their trash, but some need to get more responsible for their environment. Hopefully the little sign by the Graffiti Lobby will remind them and this new Hall of Fame at Parkaue Lichtenberg can stay clean and live longer than planed. In this amazing quiet green environment, it looks like the place to be for chill outs and jams this summer. This new acquisition is the result of the long-lasting activism of the Graffiti Lobby Berlin, together with the Urban Art e.V. (Urban Art Week) they are looking towards more walls to be approved in Berlin.
Text by Katia Hermann
https://www.graffiti-lobby-berlin.de/
