Last Thursday, Edwina Sandys, a British sculptor and granddaughter of Winston Chuchill, spoke at Boston College as part the University's "Freedom Without Walls" commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The lecture, sponsored by the fine arts department, focused on her work "Breakthrough," a sculpture consisting of eight pieces of the Berlin Wall.
The purpose was "to create an honest dialogue" and to understand "where this juncture of politics and art come together," said John Michalczyk, professor in the fine arts department and co-director of BC's film studies program.
Sandys said that her work as an artist is connected with her grandfather's life and work. "Breakthrough" stands at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., at the site of Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech. Sandys said that the Berlin Wall was the "physical embodiment of my grandfather's words" that he spoke at Westminster.
On Nov. 9, 1989, the day the Berlin Wall came down, Sandys and her husband were watching television in awe, Sandys said, and the idea came to her to make a sculpture out of old pieces. Sandys said that the best art comes from an initial idea, with the details worked out later.
With that in mind, Sandys flew to Berlin and, with the help of a friend with government connections, was able to view nearly 400 pieces of the wall. The eight continuous pieces that she selected were chosen for their striking color, though they contained no real pictures.
The German word "unwahr," meaning "lies" or "untruths," was displayed all over that section, which also appealed to Sandys. The pieces were then transported to New York, where a water jet was used to cut out figures of a man and a woman. Sandys's use of the void is evident in most of her work and in this case, she said, "It is people who made the wall, and it is people that made it fall."
"Breakthrough" was completed just in time for the one-year anniversary of the fall, which was held at Westminster at an event that featured former president Ronald Reagan. Gorbachev visited the sculpture as well, where he gave his first speech in America following the fall of the wall.
Today, the exhibition stands 12 feet high and 32 feet wide and is open to the public. Sandys said she views the piece as a labyrinth so that people can make their own journey and "make their own breakthrough." She said she believes that there still remains a need for a symbol of freedom. "These things come back into relevance. The wall is now a connector and a force for good," Sandys said.
Next Monday, the replica of the Berlin Wall that stands in the Dustbowl will be taken down, marking the 20th anniversary of the fall.
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