Aufwiedersehen, Berlin!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by admin

I’ve been a wretched blogger in Berlin, but I’ve got excuses! My MacAir didn’t hold as much as I’d have liked it to, which led to getting a hard drive to transfer my pictures on to, which led to losing all my photos pre-Soundslides project.

Alright, so, the Soundslides project was the biggest deal, so I’m grateful that evolved with pictures and sound, but all the pics I took before the day I went to Tachelles and found Txus Parras for the project, are gone. Bummer.

Except, of course, for the re-sized pics here on this website.

I have learned — keep photos on the memory card, buy new memory cards before deleting anything, because computers can screw up. Alright, got it.

The tour guide of the “discover Berlin” walking tour did NOT know what he was talking about when he said Tachelles was closed. Yeah, people are trying to shut it down and get the artists out, but they haven’t succeeded yet, I was in there last Tuesday– graffiti, artists and all.

I met Txus Parras there, in the Emma Goldman gallery, and recorded him right then and there. I got some pictures, but returned after the group dinner at the Thai restaurant Ming Quah, back by our hotel. I had to miss the first night at Dr. Pong’s, which was a shame, because it went down in legend(a phone went in the toilet and all). But I got to go the next Monday, not nearly as story-holding, but afterwards a few of us girls went to a club up the street which had a password — and we knew it, so we got in for free! The club played German pop music, then 90s music, and even –gasp– the Backstreet Boys. The club went wild.

You can imagine, it wasn’t really my scene. I mean, cool to be in a club with German folk, but perhaps not the poppy-kind, I don’t even go to those kind of clubs in the U.S. It was cool for a bit though. The trams don’t run often before the sun’s up, so I walked a bit home, but it was refreshing and an appreciated time by myself.

Wednesday we met with Christoph Niemann, then ate at this good Mexican place not far from Alexanderplatz, called Dolores.

Friday, we went to Mercedes World, where I decided I want to have my birthday party one year(they have rock climbing walls!!!) and where I also picked out a select few of my future cars, and also my next bike(only 4000 Euro, for the Mercedes bike! Aw yeah, two wheels). We then went to Lake Wannsee, just barely making the ferry in time, took the bus back and got all dolled up for the show “YMA” at Friedrichstadt-Palast.

“YMA” was great — right up my alley. Aerial silks, acrobats, trampoline, singing, dancing, men getting showers on stage, a pool of rocketts — all sorts. It was wunderbar. The singing in English wasn’t the greatest, and some of the music wasn’t either, but it was the daring acts that took the show.

Sunday, we went to the Mauerpark flea market and I bought a silk and two killer shirts. They had everything there, it was great.

Tuesday we ate at the Top of the TV Tower. I had white wine, cheese, veal, chocolate cake and ice cream. It was delicious, even the view was delectable, but I had to run to meet friends I hadn’t met yet. I ran to the hostel and checked the message saying to go to Kaffee Burger, where I went and met them, briefly before we found someplace better.

Most of the group is on a flight back to the States today. I’ve still got awhile now.

Christoph Niemann, Illustrated

Posted on May 26, 2012 by admin

Wednesday, we met with illustrator Christoph Niemann. He’s done editorial illustration, silkscreens, covers for the New Yorker, a column for the New York Times called “Abstract Sunday,” several children’s books, and his own book “Abstract City.”
(http://www.christophniemann.com)

“What probably makes me not an artist is my confidence in my work relies a lot on how its received,” Niemann said, “Fukishima—the New Yorker cover, in retrospect that’s probably what I’m after, to get that reaction.” He illustrated the cover for the March 28, 2011 issue of the New Yorker, following up the disaster in Japan without any words.

Niemann wanted to do something journalistic, bring deadlines back into his work, “tight deadlines are great, if you stare at something too long you begin to question it.”

He ran the New York Marathon, drew on a drawing pad while running it, took pics and uploaded them from his iphone. The physical part wasn’t bad – it was the mental thing, the thinking for 10 hours that’s tough. Niemann was stopped at the security gate for two hours because of his backpack with batteries and drawing supplies, and this guy walk right in with a flag with a spear at the top of it.

“In the beginning people thought I was writing a book,” Niemann said, “but by the time I got to Central Park they were like ‘Oh there’s the guy who’s doing the live drawing.’”

Nearing the end, he started drawing his shoe, he stopped on the finish line to draw the finish line around it and take a picture, and then he stepped over the finish line.

He’s from Southern Germany and went to school there though he always felt he had to get out. To make up for it, he did internships in New York, and that’s how he ended up there after graduation.

“I still think New York is the best place to work,” Niemann said, but “I couldn’t move left and right, New York was too tight-fast.” He lives here in Berlin now, and there are advantages that come with that.

“The greatest advantage is the time difference,” Niemann said, “for New Yorkers, I get up at 3 a.m.” There’s a six hour time difference between New York and Berlin, with Berlin ahead. So Niemann has his emails in before anyone else. “Worst case scenario, I have a phone call at 10 at night.”

“There’s a lot of talent in Berlin, in New York everything is priced out.” It’s cheaper to live in Berlin, so easier to work with other artists as they aren’t worrying so much about paying their super high rent, and can work on what they want. No, ‘If my apartment wasn’t so small’s – “here if you want to do it, you do it.”

Meeting Timothy Fadek

Posted on May 23, 2012 by admin

We met with Timothy Fadek, conflict photographer, at der Institut fur Fotografische Bildung. http://www.timothyfadek.com/ (You might want to check out his photos.)

He has taken pictures in Cairo, Haiti, Bangledesh, Iraq to name a few.

9 months ago Fadek moved from New York to Berlin. Much easier, not to mention cheaper, to hop on a plane to Athens from Berlin, which is what he did this morning.

“They don’t give assignments to people who are still at home– you have to be there,” Fadek said.

Berlin is much closer geographically to the places that he works in. He went to Cairo, in November to shoot the “non-revolution, or revolution that failed, but a second mini-revolution started, and I happened to be there.”

We asked about how he protects himself as he deliberately walks right into the conflict. He’s got a flak jacket, but doesn’t use it. He says it gives you a false sense of security, “like you’re ninja turtles.” Its better for you to feel fear. Or more of a hyper awareness of your vulnerability(maybe fear’s too strong a word).

“I got shot twice with rubber bullets– I didn’t know rubber bullets could go through plywood.”

He pulled up a picture on the projector of a man with blood over his face, “This happened every 10 seconds.” There was a nasty Eqyptian cop, they called him the eye-hunter, who deliberately aimed at people’s face to knock their eyes out.”

You have to choose a side– never between, with the cops, you’ll be safe, but– “The protestors will be setting fire to trucks — not cops.” You have to always trust your instincts.

“I’ve had dozens and dozens of close-calls,” Fadek said, but the most important thing is– don’t drink the water.

“Sometimes you’ll be in a situation where no one else can help, and you have to put your camera down. You’re a person first, photographer second.”

Timothy Fadeck finished NYU at 21, where he studied marketing and then went into the advertising business. At 29, he dropped off a portfolio of pictures at the New York Times and got his first job as a photographer.

Ka De We–Ice Cream at the top

Posted on May 22, 2012 by admin

After meeting with Timothy Fadek, we went for lunch at the Chicken Shack, suggested to us by the people at the Institut. Fall-off-the-bone Hähnchen, you could order half or a whole, mit pommes oder salat. Sehr, sehr gute.

After lunch, we took the train down to Ka De We, and ate iceream on the top floor. By the time we got back down to street-level to see the bombed-out church, it was closed for the day. Bummer.

Waiting for the train, I saw my first public cigarette advertisement– they don’t have huge Marlboro ads like that in the U.S.

Ice Cream Adventure nommer zwei-hundert und neunzig

Posted on May 21, 2012 by admin

Not really. But this group really does like ice cream. We went out last night for some, went to this place called “Alex” in Alexanderplatz, right next to where we started our Fat Tire bike tour the other day. It was kinda pricey, so the four of us split drei glasses of cool delight.

That was only the first adventure. We returned to the hotel, and then walked links to find a pub, we found Hausbar, gerade aus.

We stayed there a bit, then walked further on, turned around, and as we’re about to cross back into our block an M2 tram pulled up in front of us.

Of course, we got on it.

Ended up swinging in synch(the Germans probably engineered it that way, they think of everything..) on really tall swings. Taller than any I’d seen before. I jumped off, walked a bit further, and found a secret garden with trails begging company.

In the tours, they speak of the adventures to be had in Europe. When it actually happens, it’s better.

Back at the hotel, I saw the blue light soften through the lobby windows. Sun‘s up at four here.

Sonnabend, around Berlin(on foot this time)

Posted on May 21, 2012 by admin

Six-hour bike trip yesterday, four-hour walking tour today. Think we’ve got a good chunk of Berlin in by now. My feet are beat, but we’re about to go out again. It doesn’t stop here. This is Berlin, get on it.

The “discover Berlin” tour started near a ‘Don’t kill Bambi’(or something like that..) store, at least, that’s where we got off the tram. We walked to Museum Island from there, where I decided I have to see the Purgemon museum and the German history museum before I leave.

We walked through the gates that once had Irene(or peace) on top, but she was replaced by Victoria(Victory!!).(Also the American Emabassy was here, and I think they were filming Spaceballs 3, unless people just usually walk around like that in those costumes hier..)

We went left(links) to the Holocaust memorial, and then walked atop the parking lot under which the huge bunker was where Hitler committed suicide by cyanide and gun with his new-bride/old mistress, the tour guide didn’t tell us this until we were on top of it. Apparently, his jawbone proves against conspiracies, but his ashes were scattered in the river so there’s nothing else to go by conveniently.

We walked to what was once the 3rd Reich Air Ministry, then the East German Government building, and today the ministry of finance. There is still a happy-socialism moral on the wall.

We ended at Checkpoint Charlie, now called Snackpoint Charlie, rightly so — It’s got a McDonald’s.

We went around the corner to a Turkish joint(Wir um die Ecke zu eine Turkish joint gegangen..), where I ate Doner im Brot(wo ich habe Doner in Brot esst..?) . I’m not quite sure what the meat was, but it was very good.

Von da, wir zu der Reichtag building gegangen, und denn nach Hause(..well, the hotel).