2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. When erected it represented the thin end of the wedge of Communism and the leading edge of the Iron Curtain. The revolutionary ideals of the Bolsheviks had given way to a totalitarian dictatorship with nuclear capability that held the world in a precarious position of impending nuclear Armageddon. The West having a stake in stopping the spread of Communism held onto it’s territory in occupied Berlin, an island in the sea of eastern Communism. In August 1961 when the Berlin Wall was erected over night, it divided a city, separated friends and families, and created an impenetrable barrier to freedom and liberty for those trapped in East Berlin.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 there was jubilation, and celebration. A city was reunited, and a country was not far behind. The world watched as Berliners, East and West danced for joy on top of the wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate. It signaled an end to the stronghold of communism and ruthless dictatorship that held sway over much of Eastern Europe. As with other monumental moments in history such as Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, the fall of the Berlin Wall not only brought together broken families, a city torn apart, a country severed, it brought together humanity in the glimmer of hope for a better future.

Hope springs eternal as they say, and we are in desperate need of hope and change in today’s current political, economical, and environmental times. The fall of the Berlin Wall serves as a symbol to the present and future generations that change is possible, that hope is alive and the urgent need to grab the present and bring about the change we want to see.

This photo essay is presented in four movements and connects the historical context of the Berlin Wall with photos from legendary Magnum photographers. Today the remnants of the Berlin Wall have been scattered all over the world and I have captured some of these remnants in my photos. I have also attempted to point to a renewed hope for the future in my photos. Breaking the walls and barriers of our current times. Repairing the balance in our societies, our governments and our planet for a better tomorrow for our future generations.