1995 was a unique year for Berlin. The Reichstag was wrapped by Christo, the Love Parade was held on the Straße des 17. Juni, and the first Breaking Walls Award - an event that sparked the genuine power of creative upheaval in Berlin - was held at the Berlin Academy of Arts.

Director Hermann Vaske was the initiator and president of the jury. At that time, director Peter Lilienthal was the head of the media department at the Academy of Arts and the patron of the event. The jury included Dennis Hopper, Damien Hirst, Michel Friedmann, Margarethe von Trotta, Tony Kaye, Paul Arden, Cicciolina, and many others. The awards themselves were quite remarkable: bricks designed by renowned artists, each a historical unique piece. Vaske coined them "Berlin Bricks." He originally bought the "Berlin Brick" at a hardware store and had it painted by David Bowie, Damien Hirst, Dave Stewart, and many other artists, turning it into a work of art. One of the winners of the "Berlin Bricks" was French director Michel Gondry.