From Mark, Germany, October 2018

Mark, Berlin, Germany

This “postcard” is a photo I took of the “Refo” church in Moabit, Berlin. Originally this was a congregation I visited for the purposes of my research, but since then I’ve become a regular visitor, and they’ve welcomed me into the community, invited me to play music for some of the events, and even let me sleep in the church building when I need somewhere to stay in the city. Living in East Germany, I often find it hard to relate to what seem very “German” institutions and groups. This is a place which seems to welcome difference, which reaches out across different boundaries and provides a space for a whole range of people to come along without having to assimilate into specifically German ways of doing things. This is one of the places in Germany that I hate the feeling of losing post-brexit. It’s a symbol of the side of the country that I love, and where I’ve formed relationships that are important to me.

Mark