Two Sides of the Same Wall

Close to Checkpoint Charlie - the former main crossing between East and West Berlin - is the Asisi Panorama.

This art installation consists of a cylindrical rotunda that displays a panorama of what daily life would have been like on each side of the Wall.  Visitors can either stand at ground level and experience trying to peer over the Wall to the East or on a raised platform to compare the two regions side by side.

The Panorma was created by modelling a full-sized 3D version of the image - complete with real actors - and then taking photographs that were transferred onto a gigantic canvas wrap.  The lighting changes over time to show a transition from morning to night and has German commentary conveying some of the local daily activities on either side of the Wall.

The experience was genuinely haunting, causing goosebumps and a deep feeling of unease.  It was surreal to see neighbouring houses experience such different ways of life.

The viewer's proximity to the Wall's Death Strip and the boarded up buildings where the Wall cut through former residences, made the experience even more eerie and upsetting.

Although very heavy, Geoff managed to find one lighter spot when he quickly spotted the image of a man in the West throwing up on the sidewalk after a long night at the local tavern.  A much needed giggle in an otherwise very intense experience.