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Jeden Monat nähern sich unsere Kolumnisten, die Berliner Filmemacher Dominik und Benjamin Reding, dem jeweiligen Heftthema
auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise. Geboren wurden die Zwillinge am 3. Ja nuar 1969 in Dortmund. Während Dominik Architektur
in Aachen und Film in Hamburg studierte, absolvierte Benjamin ein Schauspielstudium in Stuttgart. 1997 begann die Arbeit an
ihrem ersten gemeinsamen Kinofilm „Oi! Warning“. Seitdem arbeiten sie für Fernseh- und Kinofilmprojekte zusammen.

Each month our columnists, Berlin-based filmmakers Dominik and Benjamin Reding, approach the respective issue-specific theme
in their very personal way. The twins were born on January 3, 1969 in Dortmund. Whilst Dominik studied architecture in Aachen
and film in Hamburg, Benjamin graduated in acting studies in Stuttgart. They started working on their first joint motion picture “Oi!
Warning“ in 1997. Since then they have tightly collaborated for TV and cinema film projects.

D o you remember it? The lyric evaluation system by Dr. J. Evans Pritchard? His is that called nowadays? I no longer know much about school, it is all far too long
500-page work entitled “Understanding Poetry” which assessed the quality of a
ago. No doubt everything is different, no more focusing on grades, no stupid memo-
poem based on the two aspects “perfection” and “importance” based on the I x P = rizing, no panicky copying, no cheat sheet underneath the school toilet, no cowering,
Q (importance x perfection= quality) formula? And do you still remember how the lying and trembling anymore but enabling instead of punishing, understanding in-
new teacher, Mr Keating, enters the classroom and says: “We are not plumbers, we stead of parroting, realization instead of grades, courage instead of fear. That’s how
are dealing with poetry here. You cannot evaluate poems in the way of American it is, isn‘t it? I went outside, was hoping that new ideas would come to mind while I
charts” and who suddenly demands of the students who are dutifully taking notes of was strolling, the warm spring air smelled of nature. I walked, the rows of turn-of-the-
the formula: “Tear out the page!” And no doubt you remember it since it is the central century houses, all looking the same, accompanied me. Then it smelled of fresh con-
scene in Peter Weir’s film “Dead Poets’ Society”. And do you still remember Rütli crete. And I stood still. At first, I took the building for a conversion, a typical energe-
Schule? Ten years ago? This school in the Berlin problem district Neukölln, which tically upgraded flat-roof box as it is found by the hundreds in any industrial park.
sounded as innocuous as alpenglow and which resided so friendly-sedate building But a construction sign as high as a house claimed something else: “New Construc-
from 1908? This school, however, which the teachers only entered under police pro- tion of Campus Rütli R2, subsidized with funds of the European Union.” And now I
tection, where the students walked around while armed, the principal received threa- saw it, new buildings had sprung up all around the sedate old building of the Rütli
tening letters and then first she, then her successor and then her successor gave up Schule, a workroom pavilion, a canteen pavilion, a neighbourhood centre and an L-
after just a few years? Do you remember? shaped, four-storey annex at the firewall of the
“Horror school”, “knife school”, “ghetto old Rütli Schule, a severe perforated façade
school”, the headings became larger and lar- with golden shimmering metal windows. Pu-
ger. And when even the New York Times and rists would have rejoiced and called the insu-
the Washington Post reported on the “hate lation-system façade “minimalist” or “aus-
and violence at the rutli-school”, something tere”. The construction site was abandoned,
had to be done. A competition was organized the improvised sheet-metal door of the new
by the senate administration for urban deve- building stood wide open, I went in. I was blin-
lopment and housing. An annex to the old ded by the sun, out of the twilight, a concrete
school building was to be constructed, a stairwell appeared as I knew it from my own
neighbourhood centre, workrooms, a canteen; time in school (only no longer board-marked
a library. Architecture was to achieve what our but smoothly poured), then a windowless cen-
society is incapable of doing, was to pacify tral hallway with, on the left and the right, rec-
violence, open up educational chances, esta- tangular, unilaterally illuminated classrooms
blish a sense of community, defuse religious branching off which ignored the position of the
conflicts, mitigate migration problems, reduce sun. The layout as well seemed familiar to me,
the gap between the poor and the rich, pro- not from my own school but from historic ar-
mote tolerance, strengthen women’s rights, chitectural lexica. Schools around 1870 looked
enable social inclusion and defend the liberal- like that only that then the outer walls were
democratic basic order while also functioning decorated with glazed bricks, the windows
flawlessly as to economic efficiency, techno- Foto: Benjamin Reding imitated Gothic style and plugs for smartbo-
logy, logistics, education as well as meeting ards were still lacking. Towards evening, I went
all the DIN and Euro standards. An ambitious, back to my desk. My school scene just would
many times rewarded office from Leipzig won the competition; the jury thought the not get any better. I slept badly, kept turning over and decided upon a plan at dawn.
design to be “economical yet having spatial quality” and only criticized the exterior a I drove to the Ruhr area, visited a high school and participated in the class. German
bit. “In combination with the thermal insulation system, the façade with its pragma- advanced course, double period, the subject was “Faust”, the study scene. I pricked
tic characteristic style of simply relating to the interior rooms results in an appea- up my ears, I was excited. Now the modern students would get going, demand, ask,
rance which runs into danger of looking banal.” Then came the mayor, the first cut of discuss, fearlessly and freely analysing “what holds the world together at the core”.
the spade, flashlights, shaking of hands, then the construction work started. An allot- A moment of silence, then the message flickered on the smartboards: D.A.S. (drama
ment garden, 7,700 square metres of green in grey Neukölln, was cleared for the buil- analysis scheme) for LK-Q2: Eight items, from the contents to the listing of the lingui-
ding. Then the construction work was delayed as it is usually the case with public stic means and their perfection (you remember: “perfection”), from the structure of
buildings, and the “violence at the rutli-school” disappeared from the press reports, the dialogue to the classification of the importance (you remember: “importance”). I
talk shows and internet blogs. And I as well had forgotten the Rütli Schule and its x P = Q. The students eagerly made notes, there were no questions. “I have to know
buildings, students and problems. Outside, in front of my office window, the trees it well for the next test”, a girl next to me whispered. Dr J. Evans Pritchard would have
were flowering, the sun was shining, a mild wind was blowing. It got warm, for the been jubilant. One cannot reproach the Rütli architects. As long as the teaching do-
first time that year. But I was sitting grouchily at my desk. Work on my new script was esn’t change, the students will look the way they do. I think we should do as the tea-
stagnating. A school scene, German class, upper level, SEK II or Q2 or how … how … cher Keating did and call out: Tear out the page!

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