Six years after the planes moved out Berlin‘s Tempelhof airport now runs on flower power. And as far as yesterdays referendum will be respected it will stay this way!
The smell of hand- rolled cigarettes and barbecues wafts towards you, but the horizon appears to be retreating. Music tinkles above meadows, sculptures spring up from scrubland and, whoa, is that sunbather naked? It is around this point you realise that out of everyone enjoying the sheer exhilaration of hanging out on a real runway you’re the only one on foot.
Despite the carefree vibe, Tempelhof has a lot of baggage, even for an airport. A reminder of both the Nazi aesthetic and Cold War divisions, few mourned its closure in 2008. Yet it is still the perfect metaphor for Berlin, where the only thing greater than its inhabitants’ love of outdoor activities is the city’s aversion to making decisions. After six years of proposals, the future of the terminal is now for sure. It will remain just the same. An empty space full of fun for the cities people.
Where else in the world could one find such an airfield of dreams?
I shot the set in 2013 for “N by Norwegian” magazine.