German and British street artists have worked together on twinned projects in London and Berlin to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1914 Christmas truce.
They were commissioned by the Belgian tourism agency, Visit Flanders, to produce two modern artistic interpretations of the spontaneous ceasefires which have captured public imagination in the centenary year of 2014.
In London, a seqence of murals highlights the enduring image of football games played in no-man’s land after troops from the opposing sides left their trenches to exchange gifts and greetings.
Dominating the Shoreditch art wall in Great Eastern Street, a busy road on the fringes of the City of London financial district, the painting will be on view until December 26th 2014 (Photo: Centenary News)
Visit Flanders say the chosen artists – Zadok and Ninth Seal from the UK and Sokar Uno from Germany – collaborated ‘in the spirit of promoting ongoing peace.’
In Berlin the artists Alaniz, Addison Karl and Wesr worked on canvas to create multiple images of the truce, entitled ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’.
The painting was briefly shown at Potsdamer Platz, the hub of the German capital which was rebuilt as a showpiece after decades of division during the Cold War.
It’s now featured in the ‘Feeling War’ exhibition, running at the Museum Europäischer Kulturen until the end of June 2015.
The artists at work in Berlin (Photo: Visit Flanders)
Visit Flanders is the official tourism agency for the Dutch-speaking region of northern Belgium, which includes the former Western Front battlefields of Ypres and Messines.
Peter De Wilde, Chief Executive officer, said: “By this double initiative we aim to internationally communicate the essence of the Great War Centenary in our region.
“Our remembrance project is not only about the study and commemoration of the milestones in war history. Many people living today can relate to this century-old history because of the countless personal and humane stories involved, and the message of ‘no more war’ that is often triggered by them.
“For many, these stories are decisive when choosing to visit Flanders Fields, where it all happened.”
The commemoration of the Great War in Flanders will continue throughout 2015-2018.
Source: Visit Flanders
Images: Centenary News (Shoreditch Wall); Visit Flanders (Berlin)
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News