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Writing the City: Das Berliner Palimpsest

Book
2002 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

As a student of architecture Neil Wenman was interested in the theory and philosophy of architecture as much as in actually making buildings. Writing the City: Das Berliner Palimpsest was written as an undergraduate dissertation and examines the palimpsest nature of Berlin from its 19th-century history up to the Cold War, the construction of the Berlin Wall and the events surrounding the wall’s demolition.

Within this Wenman examines the role drawing plays in determining the changing structure of the city – the markings of roads, traffic signs, architectural plans, graffiti and so on. The book accompanies No Man’s Land, a cut-paper and drawing work by Wenman also in the V&A’s collection (Museum no. E.3021-2004).


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Writing the City: Das Berliner Palimpsest (assigned by artist)
  • The Berlin Palimpsest (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Printing ink on paper; bound in black cloth on board
Brief description
Book, Writing the City Das Berliner Palimpsest, by Neil Wenman, Great Britain, 2002.
Physical description
Portrait format black cloth bound book with paper wrapper with black and white photographic image of a ?street surface and (at top of image below the lettering of the book's title) a tape measure stretched across it. Lettered on front and spine of wrapper with title and on front of wrapper with name of author.
Dimensions
  • Height: 30cm
  • Width: 22.3cm
  • Depth: 3cm
Production typeLimited edition
Copy number
2/10
Marks and inscriptions
'Writing The City , 2001 [sic]/ Bound printed paper 30 x22x3cm/ Edition 2 of 10/ Neil Robert Wenman/ All copyright for the contents remain with the author.' (Inscribed in pencil in the author's hand on the first page immediately inside front cover)
Credit line
Given by the artist
Subjects depicted
Places depicted
Summary
As a student of architecture Neil Wenman was interested in the theory and philosophy of architecture as much as in actually making buildings. Writing the City: Das Berliner Palimpsest was written as an undergraduate dissertation and examines the palimpsest nature of Berlin from its 19th-century history up to the Cold War, the construction of the Berlin Wall and the events surrounding the wall’s demolition.

Within this Wenman examines the role drawing plays in determining the changing structure of the city – the markings of roads, traffic signs, architectural plans, graffiti and so on. The book accompanies No Man’s Land, a cut-paper and drawing work by Wenman also in the V&A’s collection (Museum no. E.3021-2004).
Collection
Accession number
E.3022-2004

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Record createdJune 15, 2004
Record URL
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