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Garbage dumps shortly after the fall of the Wall, July 1990: Discarded household effects at the roadside [1/4]

OBJECT INFORMATION

Info

July 1990
Berlin-Pankow
Created By: Christer Markgraf

License: Creative Commons License

From the Set

Exhibition theme: The Transformation of the GDR
Close-ups
Economic Change

Depicts

dustbin, litter, stencil, traffic sign

Context

consumption, litter, monetary union

People/Organizations

Busch-Petersen, Nils

Places

Other places (Berlin)

Other items in this set

Memory

"During the 'Wendezeit' ('time of change' – the transitional period in East Germany after the fall of the Wall), garbage dumps started appearing everywhere, particularly after the monetary union when wages, pensions and even the first compensation payments were paid out in West German currency. 'The undead', a term describing cars, televisions, tape recorders, furniture and washing machines that have been repaired to death, as well as the now superfluous spare parts and consumable supplies that had been hoarded for years, all end up at the dump. Not to mention ideologically burdening books, personal documents and pictures. While rummaging through it all we discover the skeletons in our neighbors’ closets as well as a lot of still functioning appliances that have often been disposed of simply due to a lack of spare parts. The tried and tested East German system of 'seeing, buying, storing and trading' has given way to the throwaway mentality."

Christer Markgraf

Original Caption

"Following the monetary union, discarded household effects were often seen at the side of the road in the GDR."