Rabbit in the border strip, East Berlin
© Swedish Artist Andreas Gedin
23 Westend
A Walk in Paradise
In 1997 the Swedish artist Andreas Gedin devised the project A Walk in Paradise, which was intended to shed light on the specific habitat of the fauna in the exclusion zone around the former Berlin Wall. The primary object of this research was the rabbits that appeared to lead an isolated and extremely good life there. However, in the past this rabbit paradise had been targeted with poison by GDR border troops in order to prevent the growth of vegetation in which escapees might be able to hide.
Gedin began his project with a four-day walk along the former border between East and West Berlin – a route of some 155 km. He planned to search for rabbits, but also to engage in contact with experts in a range of scientific fields such as monitoring toxins, botany, biology and surveillance. These would accompany Gedin on sections of his walk and share their knowledge in conversation with him. The project remained unrealised.
For What If Berlin, Akira Takayama transposes unrealised projects from the archives of the Berliner Festspiele and other Berlin cultural institutions, as well as from architects and artists, into the present and asks us which vision we want to realise in the future.
The future vision for the project A Walk in Paradise, that will be presented in the frame of What If Berlin from 28 August 2026 onwards, will respond to the following question: What if Berlin started a Ringbahn walking tour?
Which of the 27 visions for the future is the most exciting? Which project does Berlin need in future? Which idea should actually be realised?
Until 30 September 2026, you can vote for up to three of the 27 visions for the future. The results will be displayed live to give the latest impression of the public’s reactions.