Sophia Kesting and Dana Lorenz have been photographically documenting the transformation of the ‘Square of the Peaceful Revolution’ in Leipzig for over 12 years. Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz is a prime example for the treatment of GDR architecture, to this day a point of contention, coupled with urban planning conflicts between social and economic interests. The plans for its usage and development have been the subject of controversy for years and will finally be resolved with the work’s completion. The title Asphalt, Steine, Scherben (Asphalt, Stones, Shards) refers to the square’s material makeup. The immense archive of 1500 black-and-white medium-sized photographic prints forms a unique collection with a political dimension. The analogue approach addresses the historicity of the document: Sophia Kesting and Dana Lorenz experienced the events of 1989/90 as children – both the euphoria of the fall of the Berlin Wall and its sobering consequences.

As a print medium, the photo book plays a key role in the project’s conclusion. It explores the complex changes the site has undergone, which become visible in the performative repetition of the visual motifs and offer room for thought.