City TV (Berlin) #50/17 Possibly 1997 - 2009

Curator: Well, this photograph immediately conjures a sense of urban decay. Editor: Indeed. Let's delve into Frank Thiel's "City TV (Berlin) #50/17," potentially created between 1997 and 2009. Thiel’s striking cityscape presents us with a layered view of Berlin's urban fabric. What strikes me here are the crude materiality of these surfaces, all seemingly disintegrating, being surveyed by technology itself: surveillance cameras mounted above, watching over… nothing it seems. Curator: The social context is paramount. Thiel is capturing Berlin's transition, perhaps hinting at the clash between surveillance culture and urban decline. These aren't the pristine towers of global finance, are they? There's a stark commentary embedded within these deteriorating surfaces, highlighted by graffiti and exposed brickwork. This wall speaks volumes about labor and economic shifts within the city, perhaps reflective of struggles for resources and attention within transitional spaces of Berlin in the late twentieth century. Editor: Precisely. I also observe the composition. The grimy concrete, contrasting with the sleek cameras, feels incredibly deliberate. Curator: Right. And let’s not overlook the fact this work is public art presented as a photograph. So we have a further mediation—the experience of urban space now captured in galleries. I wonder about the implications of mediating urban experiences, particularly for communities directly impacted by those urban settings? Editor: A strong point. What do you suppose an exhibition like this attempts to convey about our present conditions through these historical documents? Curator: The presentation in a gallery elevates what some may dismiss as simply urban decay, inviting audiences to confront and question the narratives inscribed onto the city’s architecture and built environment. Editor: Thiel truly offers a visual and material study of the complexities within the cityscape—socially, historically, and architecturally. Curator: It's an intense invitation to confront urban transformations through visual culture. Editor: Yes, a powerful intersection between material decay, historical processes, and the ever-present gaze of modern surveillance.