Walls
have been built since ancient times, to mark borders, protect kingdoms
and settlements, or keep out unwanted people. In more recent times,
walls have also been built to serve as memorials and structures of art.
01. Chewing Gum Wall, Seattle, US
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Not all walls are controversial
and divisive. Seattle's gum wall is the place for any unwanted chewing
gum, a tradition which was started by people queuing for the theatre.
Currently the gum on the wall stretches to several inches thick and is a
slightly alternative location for wedding photographs. 07 more walls after the break...
02. Storm King Wall, NY, US
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Andy Goldsworthy (British
sculptor, photographer and environmentalist) created the Storm King Wall
in Mountainville, New York in 1997. At 2,278 feet (694m) long, the
site-specific sculpture is made from stones gathered around the Storm
King Art Center’s property.
03. Security Wall, West Bank, Israel
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This
wall is the most controversial in the world. It is being constructed by
the Israeli government to separate the Israeli and Palestinian people
of the West Bank. Currently standing at 8m (26ft) high, this wall
remains a source of hostility and resentment between the two peoples.
04. Vietnam War Memorial Wall, Washington D.C., US
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The
Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington,
D.C. It is often described as the most moving memorial in the city, the
Vietnam Memorial stands as tribute to those who died or went missing,
intended to transcend political controversy in remembrance of the
soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Its centerpiece, the Memorial
Wall designed by Maya Lin, is made up of two black granite walls
engraved with the 58,256 names of the soldiers.
05. Belfast Peace Line, Belfast, Northern Ireland
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The
Peace Line stands over 20ft (6m) high and was constructed to separate
Catholic and Protestant communities in Belfast thereby 'keeping the
peace'. What was meant as a temporary measure became more permanent as
the barriers became longer and wider. The recent suggestion that they
should be destroyed was met with anger from local residents and so its
deconstruction remains a debated topic.
06. Green Line "Walls", Cyprus
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In
downtown Nicosia, the Green Line is made mostly of big, colored oil
barrels; as you walk along, these yield to bulldozered bunkers with
thick green overgrowth. The term Green Line refers to the cease fire
line that de facto divides the island nation of Cyprus into two, cutting
through the capital of Nicosia. It was first established in 1964.
07. "Ecobarriers" Wall In Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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Beginning
in March 2009, a concrete wall surrounds the Dona Marta favela, which
sprawls over the Corcovado hills above Rio de Janeiro and housed
approximately 7,000 residents in 2006 in more than 1,000 dwellings.
Officials insist the wall exists to protect the remaining native forest
as serves as an ecobarrier. Critics see the wall as a symbol of Brazil’s
vast division between the rich and poor.
08. Lennon Wall in Prague, Czech Republic
Photo Link
The John Lennon Wall, began as
hippie graffiti in the 80's, was whitewashed by the secret police. The
painting returned and when the wall was given back to the Knights of
Malta in 1989 as part of a huge restitution deal. The Knights wanted to
paint over it too, but the Ambassador from the French Embassy across the
street pleaded its case. The wall had to be re-plastered in 1998, but
an artist was hired to re-do Lennon's portrait and small graffiti is
tolerated today.
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