An Irish-born dancer, a cameraman-turned-activist and a World War II bomb survivor. At first glance, the protagonists involved in Berliner Zimmer, a fascinating video project by artist Sonya Schönberger, seem like very different people. But they all have one thing in common: Berlin is their home. Since 2018, Schönberger has been sitting down with Berliners of all backgrounds to hear, quite simply, their whole life stories. The resulting filmed interviews make up a growing online archive of videos, a selection of which is being screened at the Kunstraum Kreuzberg exhibition space at Bethanien. The current screenings – the first in a series of month-long “chapters” – deal with the issue of childhood and growing up. The protagonists’ stories are all striking in their own way: Polish-born artist Dagmara Genda talks entertainingly about growing up in Canada knowing barely any English, Kreuzberger Özkan Eliçekli recalls the racism he endured as a child, while pensioner Christa Peter describes being bombed out of her childhood home in Friedrichshain. The recollections range from the harrowing to the entertaining, but they all captivate. As well as at Bethanian (where you can check out the CTM exhibition too), you can catch the interviews online.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Credit: Berliner Zimmer, Stadtmuseum Berlin / Photo: Cottonbro
Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Mariannenpl.2, 10997 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Sun–Wed 10–18h; Thu–Sat 10–22h
Berliner Zimmer Chapter 1 runs until 24.02.2022. Entry is free of charge.
@kunstraumkreuzberg
