Giant art project transforms East German housing blocks
(Artdaily.org)

An enduring reminder of the communist era, the vast, concrete `Plattenbau` tower blocks that surround cities in eastern Germany are usually considered eyesores rather than works of art. Yet, a new urban culture project in the city of Halle, 170 kilometres (around 100 miles) southwest of Berlin, hopes to promote social cohesion by transforming architectural sins into monumental masterpieces. By brightening up the grey blocks made of prefabricated concrete slabs and often associated with poverty and tensions, artists aim to get people who don`t normally interact talking. Adorning the side of one block, a three-dimensional mural in vivid colour depicts an astronaut descending from a satellite-like spaceship via a wooden ladder held by two men far below him. In the background is a clear blue sky, giving the illusion that the walls have