East German design: poster and textile pattern

East German poster in antique shop window

Red and orange flowered fabric

On a photography walk around Oberbaum City in Berlin-Friedrichshain today, I stumbled across several colorful examples of East German design. I admired the window display Intershop 2000, which specializes in DDR memorabilia and has just moved to a new location due to construction of high-end apartments on their former site. I have mixed feelings about the message on this poster commemorating International Women’s Day, 1988 (“Our women: our Ahlpha and Ohmega” – empowering? objectifying? both?) but I wholly endorse the graphics and colors. Later, in the courtyard of the entertainingly hip Hotel Michelberger, A. and I enjoyed the hotel café’s excellent coffee while swinging on an old Hollywoodschaukel covered in this lovely flowered fabric.

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