If Walls Could Talk: 30th Anniversary of The Fall of The Berlin Wall Marked By Statement For Freedom

Nov. 11, 2019

A film and new typeface inspired by original graffiti from the Berlin Wall has been created as part of a campaign to mark the 30th anniversary of the wall coming down in November 1989. The film, in which we hear sirens, dogs barking and gunshots, depicts the suffering the Wall witnessed. It ends with the warning, “Division is freedom’s biggest threat”.

The font is available for everyone to make their own statements for freedom, using the anniversary typeface. The statements will be collected and turned into a book which will be sent as a message to the current leaders of the world.

The idea is created by HEIMAT Berlin for street art association, The Cultural Heirs, a non-profit association committed to integration and violence prevention as well as the prevention of discrimination and inequalities in our society.

The campaign explores the threat walls of all kinds can pose to society and freedoms worldwide. The starting point was the question: if walls could talk, what would the Berlin Wall say today? In this way, the typeset allows the Wall a voice and the ability to make a statement about freedom in our world today.

The typeface has been designed using the 26 letters in the alphabet – each taken from actual graffiti from the Berlin Wall, which became a politically-charged canvas for numerous street artists over the years. 

Matthias Storath, CCO at HEIMAT, Berlin, said:

“Street art and iconic design can have a dramatic impact on culture, and creating a campaign to celebrate freedom and warn about division to mark this important anniversary was very meaningful to us. We hope that this project will help remind audiences of our hard-won freedoms, which we must cherish and enjoy.”