3
Space and the Presence of Walls in the Berlin Trilogy
In 1961 West Berlin found itself surrounded by a wall 4 metres high and 111km long. The
Berlin Wall was not only a metaphor of division within Europe during the post-war period but
a physical border dividing the East and the West of the capital. The East German government
had attempted to justify the building of the Wall, claiming that the West German government
had been using West Berlin as a base for spies and that the Wall was built in an attempt to
keep them out.
Bowie’s work is littered with references to the Berlin Wall, as it was possibly one of the most
significant symbols of oppression- not only in the world but in his life during his time in Berlin.
Its presence was repeatedly woven into the fabric of his music, both lyrically and sonically and
so we begin to understand its significance within the trilogy. Hansa Studios sat in its shadow;