Berlin trip 09-12: M99 stickers and others
M99 in Berlin-Kreuzberg had another 40 or more new protest stickers today, which amazes me every time I go there. I went in late April and picked up a bunch of stickers, and four months later, so many new designs. If I were to try to categorize, the new stickers are less old school photo-collage and more cartoon-ish and digital, perhaps made in Photoshop or inDesign like the ones in the lower left of the photo below.
I also went to Red Stuff around the corner to see their stickers, but unlike last time, they wouldn’t let me take any pictures today. Stickers on the streets were as varied as ever, many anti-tourist and anti-gentrification, and in that regard, even my dear long-term home base at Hotel Greifswald is up for sale. Year after year, one can see the economic development creep east block by block from Alexanderplatz.
This year, Berlin celebrates its 775th birthday. There are stencil messages on sidewalks and outdoor kiosks along Leipziger Strasse describing medieval foundations of four churches, a Rathaus, and graves below the asphalt. Interesting that these city-sponsored stencils aren’t considered graffiti whereas most other public stencils are. More to follow tomorrow.
