Green Noise

Finding silence and moments of tranquility in urban spaces like Berlin is a rare luxury. The urban cacophony is ever present and hard to escape. In this environment it is important to find quiet moments to recharge and unwind.

Taking long walks on the Tempelhofer Feld has become a daily routine for us ever since moving to Neukölln. The transition from dense urban space to open greenery is abrupt when entering the field, and the shift in sound is obvious and palpable. The vast open space that seemingly stretches until the horizon allows us to just place one foot in front of the other without necessarily thinking which path to take. We can find refuge within our thoughts or just let our minds drift while taking in the surroundings: the different colors in the grass, the crows playing in the wind, a kite flying in the distance. We become aware of our own thoughts, and of other people and their conversations. Further in, conversation gives way to the sound of birds and the wind sweeping through the tall grass. The humming of tires from bikes, rollerblades and other human powered vehicles glides across the long expanse of runway and echoes an historical contradiction. These long stretches of asphalt built as a runway for one of the first modern airports would have once been overwhelming with the screaming roar of airplanes racing headlong into the future. Now we retrace that path in reverse, into the heart of the field in search of silence and respite from the stress of urban chaos.

“Green Noise” is a series of drawings by Henrike Lendowski and Matt Rota inspired by the Tempelhofer Feld as an urban ambient refuge.