'Kiez' is a word that in Berlin is used to mean ‘neighbourhood’.
Berlin has many 'Kieze' but Kottbusser Tor, "Kotti" to the Berliners, has a particular atmosphere arising from the broad range of ethnic groups and cultures that live, collide and interact there.
I define it as an example of "cultural parallelism": the different cultures, that are not yet well-integrated in the german system or blended into each other, cross and skim over each other, sometimes touch but still keep their own identity and character, every day creating new coexisting worlds.
Coexisting alongside strangers can be a source of strife, but this is completely absent in the streets of Kottbusser Tor.
On the contrary, one can feel a strong feeling of tolerance, originating from the stronger sense of fellowship of being from the same Kiez.
It's like saying: "You're different from me, but we're both from Kotti!"
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This is an on-going project.
