Capital of Cool, City of Tolerance and (affordable) Hub of Creativity – Berlin’s image is an alluring one. The images of Berlin circulating in all kinds of media are just as interesting, but also surprisingly diversified. If this is true for contemporary Berlin it proves to be so even more in regard of its 20th century history. But what do those images actually tell us?
This seminar focuses on the double meaning of image as picture with a certain imaginative power (e.g. symbols, iconic images) and image as reputation. In a journey through Berlin’s (and Germany’s) Visual Culture we look closer on some of its visualities – from iconic photographs to music video clips, movies and documentaries to official marketing campaigns – and reflect on their symbolic meaning and varying interpretations, their impact on Berlin's self-concept, identity, on its cultural scene and even on its economic value. Basic theoretical concepts of the Visual Culture Studies et al. are introduced.
The seminar aims to be an exercise in Visual Literacy (VL), enabling students to better understand, interpret and use images in their everyday life.