Ian has now returned from his holiday in Budapest and Transylvania. Although it was potentially a new angle for the Berlin project, no interviews took place. There was however, a little bit of filming at Szobor Park (Statue Park).
After 1989, the Soviet and Communist era statues were removed from Budapest's public spaces. Many were scrapped but some found a new home at Szobor Park. As the iconography of the DDR and the Eastern Bloc is all part of the My DDR T-Shirt project, some very useful cutaways were filmed and photographed. Incidentally, two new galleries can be found in the Photography pages.
Apart from this one opportunity, Ian felt that the Berlin focus was central to the project. Interviews with any person who experienced Communism are tempting, but not always relevant. Now that Ian is back, having enjoyed himself thoroughly, My DDR T-Shirt is back on the 'To Do' list and the ball is starting to roll again.
Firstly, even more responses came in from the requests for translators on Craigslist. The audio of the Erika Kammer and Ursula Petzsch interviews has now been captured, cleaned, chopped into bitesize pieces and made available for download.
Secondly, a couple of interviews are planned with some former East Germans living right here in Manchester.
Thirdly, rumours have been spreading around the Institute that Ian has been seen, more than once, browsing the Easyjet website. It is thought that he is exploring the idea of another visit to Berlin. These rumours may or may not be true, but either way, My DDR T-Shirt will have to progress considerably before another trip can be taken seriously.
That's all for now.
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