The exhibition showcases certain projects as exemplifying contemporary trends both in the East and West of the city, highlighting the similarities and differences of both regimes. Such as Stalin Allee and Alexanderplatz in the East, and Breitscheidplatz and the Märkisches Viertel in the West. Though the differing political systems operated under different ideologies, the means by which their visions were distilled into post-war architecture became increasingly more aligned. The fact that the exhibition included around 300 works by about 30 architects, planners, photographers and artists shows the productivity and thus importance of the period.
The exhibition includes work in a wide range of mediums with some very unique items which have been newly discovered. Ranging from models, films, photographs, plans, collages, manuscripts, and posters. Newsreels from East and West commenting on the urban planning developments in both sections of the city were ran side by side on old 1960s TV sets, whilst the crisp clean architectural models were displayed in pure glass boxes, drawings were beautifully mounted which only enhanced the viewer’s experience. The exhibition was accompanied by a blog which included interesting interviews with architects and also an app which enabled the user to plot a route around Berlin to go and see some of the key buildings of the 1960s in situ which usefully and accessibly compiled information on each structure. This combination of a variety of media and a variety of access points added to the pertinent nature of the exhibition and helped tie together many issues which influenced 1960s architecture as well as showing its contemporary relevance.
The overall exhibition presented the sixties in a way which engaged the viewer, the range of materials managed to create a highly complex and layered image of the social, historical, economic, political and practical implications behind the architecture of the 1960s. There was a sharpness to the exhibition which invited the viewer to linger, showing the detailed drawings and black and white photographs off at their best. For an exhibition with so much information, the effect was not overwhelming, the information was presented clearly and there was enjoyment in moving from one project to the next and from one medium to another. It was refreshing for the viewer to be felt capable of comprehending the complexities of architectural design at such a significant period in history.
Perhaps the only weakness of the exhibition was in the lack of a clear direction, in that the path the viewer was intended to make was not made clear and the narrative became a little confused as a result.
Ultimately, the exhibition was fresh in its mixed use of media and incorporation of modern communication methods. The subject itself is pertinent and this exhibition strengthened the pressure for the return of the 1960s into the architectural canon as a vital period of architectural development that was reflective of a pivotal moment in society. 1960s architecture and architectural theory strongly imbued the tensions experienced by society at the time. As such, the exhibition illustrates its importance in providing a unique lens through which the significance of the period for contemporary society can be elucidated as well as being admired and reflected upon in their own right.