Potsdamer Platz is a major public square in the heart of Berlin. It has a long and interesting history that is closely intertwined with the city and Germanys' past. It is a privately owned public space owned by Daimler AG, Sony, the German businessman Otto Beisheim and others.
The large blue chrome sculpture Balloon Flower, 1995-99 is by the American artist Jeff Koons. This expensive trophy acts as a placemaker and a symbolic marker of control. Public art is integral to place making strategies and Broken Windows Theory. Many public art pieces are used as symbolic markers of authority and control by the city and corporations. Public art is used as a physical expression of a social fabric that defends itself. A territorial marker of spaces that welcome legitimate uses while excluding illegitimate ones.