Ghosts of the Berlin Wall: 8,000 Glowing Orbs Span 10 Miles

For the 25th anniversary of its fall, the Berlin Wall installation project illuminated the historical divide between East and West, temporarily recreating the infamous border with balloons on tethers in place of concrete with barbed wire. The work, titled Lichtgrenze by creators Christopher and Marc Bauder, went live for just three days, inviting residents and visitors alike to retrace a path that in many places has been obfuscated by time and intentional attempts to bury the past.

The biodegradable light-filled balloons were released in unison, floating away with messages attached by those who choose to contribute. The balloon event was accompanied by other interactive programs and wall stories.

Every 500 feet along the path of the lights were historical footage and imagery of what each area was like when the wall was still intact, leading up to its world-watched destruction in 1989. While there were walls, mines and no-mans-land zones outside of Berlin as well, there is something particularly powerful about the way the boundary impacted Germany’s capital, slicing it brutally through its center, often cutting streets and even buildings in half.

source: weburbanist.com