– inspired by William Turner‘s unfinished painting

Still riddled with bullet holes that are patched with non matching cement. Testimony to the endurance and perseverance of art and culture, and more so of the tenacity of humanity at large, despite those who would destroy it. Symbol of man’s will to supersede imposed power.

The falling of the Iron Curtain, Perestroika, Glasnost, Arab Spring. Going back – the French Revolution and Joan of Arc, in between – the Holocaust, coming forward – Isis and Charlie Hebdo and the recent Paris attacks.

Dictators have come and gone, as did Hitler amongst many others. Hitler, who in many ways caused the division of Berlin, or at least whose actions eventually led to it.

There it still stands today. Das Brandenburger Tor. Wrecked in WW2, but restored after the war.

Strong. Symbolic. Strategic. Steeped in Significance.

Humankind can never be put down. In the face of repression we rebel. In periods of pain and suffering we strengthen. When stifled we only bounce back with bigger resolve.

The Berlin Wall which was once over 140 kilometres long, mostly destroyed in a sudden and unexpected wave of freedom. Brandenburg Gate however remained. Evoking mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, of victory and defeat.

The harsh reality of war and subjugation. Of political exploitation and the forced division of people. Friends, families, couples, parents and children, tragically destined to survive on different sides of a wall. Yes a simple wall!

The bullet holes will remain. As will the mismatched fillings. As if to kick off the healing process in a clumsy, unlikely, but effective way.

Time has since passed. Peoples have now reunited. For most it has now blended into the distant past. For others it is but another chapter in their unimportant history books.

The wounds have healed, perhaps clumsily and in a mismatched manner. The rich and arrogant West with the demanding and needy East. But such distinctions are now over. They are now truly one.

And in the same way the bullet holes blend into our collective conscience, as they become part of our daily lives and slowly sink into the mundane, we erect right there one of the most heartwarming symbols of fondness and affection.

A Christmas tree.

We choose to forget the pain and the suffering. Das Brandenburger Tor is now a historic structure, an architectural building, a tourist site. A place to be adorned with a pretty Christmas tree, now symbolising joy, rejoicing, festivity, family and friends.

It forms an integral part of our turbulent psyche, always in motion, always evolving, never still.

A works in progress like William Turner’s painting, which is far from finished and which hopefully never will.