It was a brisk walk from the Ibis hotel in Mitte to Greifswalder Street, where Vitsche, a Ukrainian NGO, was hosting the conference \u201cBetween Memory and Stone\u201d. When I stumbled upon the location Google Maps had guided me to, an old brick building, torn and crumbling at its highest points, stood there, making me doubt I was in the right place. Nevertheless, a vibrant sign for the event pointed to the entrance, which led me through a tunnel lined with an intriguing mix of neon LED lights and medieval-brick-clad bathrooms where modernity and antiquity joined. The hallways wound into multiple large, impressive rooms, where studio lights guided my gaze towards a stage fit for a play or a DJ set. However, a large screen with questions projected about re-contextualisation, memory culture, war, and the future of humanity demanded my attention more than the prospect of a performance.<\/p>\n
Vladyslava Vorobiova, co-founder of Vitsche, an organiser of this event, and the best-dressed person in the building, stood before me with a plate of food.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we were setting up yesterday, I asked Yeva, didn’t we come to a rave here once?\u201d she laughed. The duality was brilliant: once dancing to intense music in a building that was certainly shaken by sound waves, now she is hosting a conference where the Ukrainian community discusses its future.<\/p>\n
This was during the lunch interval, when academics, journalists, and members of organisations talked among themselves, sharing thoughts and perhaps exchanging gossip about the silly answers to questions during the conference\u2019s first panel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere can we begin to re-contextualise history?\u201d a member of the audience had asked. \u201cWe can begin with a QR code,\u201d replied Dr Stefanie Eisenhuth, a research associate at Berlin\u2019s Humboldt University. She was being totally serious, but it was totally ridiculous. \u201cThat\u2019s the most German thing I\u2019ve heard someone say,\u201d said Christopher Bao, my classmate who accompanied me to this event.<\/p>\n
Ironically, laid out on a table in the foyer outside the conference room was an abundance of stickers bearing QR codes. I went through and scanned each of them with my phone camera, excited not by the prospect of \u2018re-contextualisation\u2019 \u2013 as I had understood Eisenhuth\u2019s statement to be peculiar, but by the prospect of finding more sources to further my reporting. One of them took me to the Instagram handle @Close_Russian_House, supported by their caption \u201cNo Kremlin in Berlin\u201d, depicted in all-caps and furthered by their statement: \u201cRussian state propaganda has no place in Berlin. Coincidentally, I am channelling my research towards the use of Russian AI bot farms to spread propaganda and anti-Ukraine sentiments on social media and Vitsche\u2019s platform. Therefore, this QR came in incredibly handy. The other code I scanned took me to a website which I felt like I shouldn\u2019t have reached. It was laid out in black, red, and green in a computational coding format, listing case files and investigative reporting about the Russian House Berlin.<\/p>\n
I was telling Christopher about my interest in what I had found when we were interrupted by a woman who looked as if she were disguised as a witch. \u201cI know you are Americans because you are loud,\u201d she said. \u201cI am British, actually,\u201d I told her, laughing through the awkwardness. \u201cIt\u2019s all the same,\u201d she responded. She wore green business trousers, then told us she was the founder of the Green Party and began rambling about some notions I could barely understand. I nodded and smiled until she walked away to get coffee. Intrigued, we searched her up following the conversation, and she actually turns out to be completely bonkers. No mention of her to do with the Green Party, no sign of her anywhere on the internet at all.<\/p>\n
I left shortly after this food interval, but was impressed by the multitude of interactions I had in such a short time. After weaving through the tunnels, I made my way to the exit and was abruptly blinded by the daylight. It was so dark in the conference space, and returning to outside civilisation would require anyone a few moments to adjust. However, it wasn\u2019t simply my pupils that needed to dilate; my perspective did too.<\/p>\n
These spontaneous events in unusual, strange places are alluring, and I imagine I will encounter many more throughout my reporting this week. I look forward to and invite more QR codes, pleasant food, and understanding of the situation in Ukraine and how it might evolve, especially given the influence of political propaganda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was a brisk walk from the Ibis hotel in Mitte to Greifswalder Street, where Vitsche, a Ukrainian NGO, was hosting the conference \u201cBetween Memory and Stone\u201d. When I stumbled upon the location Google Maps had guided me to, an old brick building, torn and crumbling at its highest points, stood there, making me doubt<\/p>\n