The Walls of Berlin - Bouncing Girl near Humboldthain [CCC's Street Art Contest #164]

For this week's CCC's Street Art Contest I'm back with another mega mural. It is painted on the side of one of these multi-storey apartment buildings, where one side has been left without windows or any features, so another building of a similar type could be built next to it. But that hasn't happened, nor does it seem likely in the near future. In fact, Berlin has so many of these huge empty walls, that I'd consider them much more typical than any famous architectural sight in the city.

Interestingly, unlike many other huge murals, it is not really easily visible form anywhere. I spotted it from the S-Bahn going into Humboldthain station from Nordbahnhof, and when I got out to approach it on foot, I ran into a wall. Trying to go around it, I climbed up on another wall next to an adjacent playground, and from there I could get a glimpse of the image, between the branches of a tree. It looked like it was painted specifically for the observers in that inaccessible empty lot.

Pulling the branches away, I could finally get a close look - by snapping a pic and cropping it down to the mural! It is a jumping girl, wearing a pink skirt and a green hoodie... and for some strange reason there is a helmet on top of her head. She's not really wearing it, as it is way too small for her anyway. It is just... there. Doesn't make much sense at all, but so what?

What strikes me as interesting, is the background behind her. You can see the bridge leading over the train tracks at Gesundbrunnen station. Not pretty by far, but it is a recognizable feature of the area of the city. Right next to her, however, there is an American style fire hydrant, something you will never see here in Germany.

As for artist(s) of this image, I can only guess. The only identifying mark is the huge lettering on the lower right side, saying SUPER BAD BOYS. And indeed, there is a group of Berlin based graffiti artists called SBB Crew. Feel free to check them out, they have lots of very impressive images.

This post is part of my Walls of Berlin series, where you can see my collection of fantastic street art I have encountered in the German capital.