DANIELA COMANI. ICH WAR’S. IN ZWEIUNDDREISSIG TAGEN UM DEN . 1805–2007. U2 ALEXANDERPLATZ. NGBK. . 2007

CHRONOLOGIE:

09.01.1919 18.04.1930 21.07.1990 02.11.1805 12.01.2004 24.04.1945 13.08.1961 04.11.1989 07.02.1882 14.05.2006 16.08.2004 23.11.1958 09.02.1928 26.05.1945 02.10.1969 12.12.1962 13.02.1945 17.06.1953 03.10.1969 17.12.1895 31.03.2007 24.06.1967 04.10.1972 18.12.1998 01.04.1933 01.07.1913 12.10.1980 21.12.1930 08.04.1950 02.07.1990 13.10.1989 22.12.1992 DANIELA COMANI. IT WAS ME. AROUND ALEXANDERPLATZ IN THIRTY-TWO DAYS. 1805–2007

9th January. Heavy mortar fire at Alexanderplatz: I fight for the so-called Spartacus Rebellion and declare a general strike. 12th January. Around 9:30 PM in the casino at Alexanderplatz, I threatened a cashier and demanded money. But the cashier managed to escape, so I had to give myself up. 7th February. I open the Alexanderplatz Station for municipal and regional train lines. 9th February. I study an announcement for a protest on a column at Alexanderplatz. Suddenly, Franz is standing beside me. 13th February. I carry out an air-raid, and almost completely destroy the police headquarters at Alexanderplatz. Several prisoners are buried under the rubble. 31st March. I submit my project for the art competition “U2 Alexanderplatz” to the Neuen Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (NGBK). 1st April. I organize a boycott of Jewish businesses and trash the department stores “Tietz” and “Wertheim” at Alexanderplatz. 8th April. For 362 crimes, 127 of them serious felonies, I condemned the 18-year-old “Al Capone of Alexanderplatz” and two of his accomplices to death. 18th April. Today I open the train platform for the North-South route at Alex, the so-called “GN-Line”, Gesundbrunnen-Neukölln. 24th April. I manage to survive the last bombardment of Berlin by the Allies, in an underground bunker at Alexanderplatz. Almost all the build- ings around Alex are destroyed. 14th May. This evening I was drunk and stumbled on the S-train tracks at Alexanderplatz, hurting my knee. Later in the hospital I told them I was attacked by Neo-Nazis. 26th May. After closing the subway traffic in April at Alexanderplatz, I re-opened the traffic in the oldest subway station again today. 17th June. At Alexanderplatz, in the Stalinallee, as well as in other main streets around the city centre, I order the crushing of workers’ protests with the help of Soviet tanks. 24th June. Today I started construction of the 37-storey “Hotel Stadt Berlin”. 1st July. I open the platform for the new subway line “Centrumslinie”: Spittelmarkt-Alexanderplatz. 2nd July. It is Monday, I am in “Centrum-Department Store” at Alexanderplatz and I pay for my purchase in West German-Marks. Since yesterday, GDR-Marks are no longer accepted as legal tender. Outside I admire the store’s nice wavy façade made of pressed aluminium. 21st July. Together with 5000 farmers I protest against the demise of GDR farms at Alexanderplatz. 13th August. After a public declaration of the GDR transportation ministry, all trains on the “D” subway line must pass through the democratic sector of Berlin without stopping. The subway stations Bernauer Straße, Rosenthaler Platz, Weinmeisterstraße, platform “D” at Alexanderplatz, as well as the stations Jannowitzbrücke and Heinrich-Heine-Straße are closed to the public. I bricked up the transfer at Alexanderplatz and closed the entrances above ground. 16th August. Alexanderplatz, 6 P.M. I take part in the first large Monday demonstration in Berlin against Hartz IV. 2nd October. During the renewal of Alexanderplatz, I opened the Urania-World-Clock to the public. 3rd October. After 53 months of construction work, I finished the 365-meter high TV-tower, and started operation. 4th October. On the northern side-tracks of the Alexanderplatz subway station I see 14 cars burning, the tunnel ceiling collapses. 12th October. Tonight I watch “The Punishment Begins” on TV: the first episode of Fassbinder’s adaptation of the novel “Berlin Alexanderplatz” by Alfred Döblin. 13th October. I reject the proposal “Memories of Revolution” in the VBK-art competition for the Alexanderplatz subway station. 2nd November. Today I changed the name of “Paradeplatz” to “Alexanderplatz”. 4th November. I take part in the biggest protest demonstration in GDR history. Almost 1 million people come to Alexanderplatz to push for dem- ocratic reforms. 23rd November. I stand on platform “D” of the Alexanderplatz subway station and see 26 posters on the walls depicting the theme, “Peace on Earth”. This is the first exhibition at a Berlin station by the artists association (VBK), headed by Klaus Wittkugel. 12th December. Today I laid the foundation stone for the “Haus des Lehrers” and the Kongresshalle. 17th December. I unveil the Berolina-statue in front of the Tietz department store at Alexanderplatz. It is made of copper, weighs five tons and is 7.5 meters tall. 18th December. Thanks to my new traffic plans, for the first time in three decades you can finally ride across Alexanderplatz with the tram again. 21st December. I open two more train platforms for the line “E”, on the lowest level of the Alexanderplatz station. 22nd December. At Alex I meet Petra Coronato, perhaps the only author in the world who has not only read "Berlin Alexanderplatz" but also swept i t . IMPRESSUM

DIESE PUBLIKATION ERSCHEINT ANLÄSSLICH DER INTERVENTION VON DANIELA COMANI AUF DEN 32 HINTERGLEISFLÄCHEN DER LINIE U2, BAHNHOF ALEXANDERPLATZ, BERLIN. 25. OKTOBER 2007 – 29. FEBRUAR 2008

KONZEPTION / GESTALTUNG: DANIELA COMANI SCANS: BERLINMEDIA GMBH ENGLISCHE ÜBERSETZUNG: JAN RALSKE ANSICHTSFOTO: (C) THOMAS BRUNS

(C) 2008 DANIELA COMANI

U2 ALEXANDERPLATZ: EIN PROJEKT DER ARBEITSGRUPPE "U2 ALEXANDERPLATZ" DER NEUEN GESELLSCHAFT FÜR BILDENDE KUNST E.V. (NGBK), ORANIENSTR. 25, 10999 BERLIN, TEL. 030/6165130. GEFÖRDERT AUS MITTELN DER SENATSKANZLEI FÜR KULTURELLE ANGELEGENHEITEN, BERLIN UNTERSTÜTZT VON DEN BERLINER VERKEHRSBETRIEBEN (BVG) UND DER VVR WALL GMBH.

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