Potsdamer Platz 1986
What do Leipziger Platz, Leipziger Strasse, Leipziger Tor, Friedrichstrasse, and Potsdam Gate – all in Berlin – have in common? What historical forces shaped life and destiny in and around the Potsdamer Platz? What turned a thriving commercial and social hub into a desolate, divided place, tainted by violence, death, and human desperation, only to become rejuvenated, glamorous, and once again prosperous and popular? Find out by joining us for an exciting, affecting multi-media presentation of Potsdamer Platz: Phoenix from the Ashes.
Dr. Klaus Aurisch, former Consul General of Germany in Houston, and Magda Boltz-Wilson, an artist with a unique vision and perspective, will guide us on a journey of Potsdamer Platz, whose history parallels that of Germany, on Thursday, April 11, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall of Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Boulevard, Houston, TX 77005. Registration will begin at 6:15 p.m., followed by our customary food and beverage reception at 6:30 p.m., and by the program at 7:00 p.m.; $15 for nonmembers, $10 for members, and $5 for students.
Dr. Klaus Aurisch is a retired German diplomat who served in Houston as Consul General of Germany from 1991 to 1997. After his retirement, he and his wife Dr. Helga Kessler-Aurisch, Curator of European Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, returned to Houston, where they have been residing since 2001. He spends much time in Berlin, where he is a licensed attorney, and is intimately acquainted with the Potsdamer Platz. He has taught European Union law at the University of Houston, and international relations at Texas A&M University. He is also a founding member of the Houston-Leipzig Sister City Association.
Magda Boltz-Wilson is a print-maker using collagraphy and polymer-photogravure techniques in her art. She starts out with making the paper for her works; she has been praised for her “finely detailed and hand colored etching.” The works shown on April 11 are part of an exhibit in which she expressed her life around Potsdamer Platz:
Potsdamer Platz 2009
“For me, who peeped across the barb wire from a watch tower, who broke lumps of painted concrete out of the wall, who walked around on narrow boardwalks above water underneath giant dinosaur like cranes, who roamed around between rising architecture that was still deserted, who finally enjoyed lively cafes and experienced heavily packed stores and streets, this place now, again, stands as a symbol for dynamic changes, that have proceeded at breakneck speed. This body of work Phoenix from the Ashes is my expression of this dynamic process.”
Let’s all enjoy a talk, the art, and a video on April 11. Please RSVP by clicking here or writing to angelika@houstonleipzig.org. We’d love to hear from you soon.