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Haus 75 – Vernissage at Farbenladen

In the middle of a dull and grey winter a glimpse of colour improves your mood indescribably. Fortunately Sebastian Wandl, Matthias Mross and Lion Fleischmann aka Haus 75 opened their annual exhibition yesterday evening at Farbenladen.

Since I got to know Sebastian and Matthias at the 2012 Berlin Stroke I followed their progress. Beside the bright impressive colours that they’re into I mostly enjoy their complexity. Although the three artist live and work together as Haus 75 their style is very diverse – illustrations with fat outlines meet keen elaborated canvasses.

Their exhibition displays that wide range very well. If you don’t know that the exhibition consists only of three different artists you might think you have a look at artworks of a bunch of people. It’s just formidable.

Several hundred people have been able to experience that yesterday too. If you haven’t been able to attend don’t worry. The exhibition is additionally open on January 23rd to 25th and 30th to February 1st from 4pm to 9pm.

Thanks also to ABSOLUT Vodka and Paulaner for their support and laut von leise for the good planning.

Noise

While taking a deep breath the last months run past my mind’s eye.
Shredded memories accompanied by shrilling whirrs.
Faces of people I was finally able to meet again. Friends.
Things that had to be done. Things that wanted to be done.
Injuries that I definitely not wanted to have.
Illnesses I’m happy I didn’t have to deal with.

Instead of a smooth line everything felt like a spanner in the works.
A smile on your face tells your that body everything is fine.
Keeps you alive.

Noise is just a sound people don’t like.
It’s a background song of your life.
Lift the tone arm. Change A-side with B-side and enjoy the beauty of your shredded memories.

A smile on your face tells your that body everything is fine.

#seasonopener 2014th/2015th

Since I’ve been 2 years old I never spent less days on skis or a snowboard than I did during the 2013th/2014th season. Maybe fate thought “This should not happen again” wherefore I moved to Munich in March 2014. Beside a short day at the Zugspitze and two days in Solda accompanied by a stupid injury in the snow park the season was definitely over.

Forget about the past – change the future!

Unfortunately the current season started like the last one ended. Austria was able to record some snow in the middle of december, some kind of baseless snow which is responsible for the high avalanche risk, Switzerland and Italy breathed a sigh of relief at the end of december but are still looking for a 2nd visit by Mother Hulda.

Nevertheless good things come to those who wait therefore I’ve finally been able to open my winter season 2014th/2015th too. Thanks Rainer for the recommendation, it’s definitely a snowvalley.

Framed – an idea to keep your creative mind awake

A few weeks ago while surfing through the internet I again stumbled upon a lot of polaroids which showed grown-ups acting like their former self in a polaroid. Also the idea of holding a polaroid of a house or an old car and taking a new picture of it now hasn’t been new to me. Nevertheless I enjoyed the pictures or rather the play instinct behind the shots.

A few minutes later I found myself playing with a cutter and a white piece of cardboard to build a polaroid frame counterpart. It wasn’t a beauty and couldn’t compete with a real polaroid whose frame has been removed but it worked and I was able to play with it just at the moment I wanted too. I grabbed my phone and went to the backyard to catch the last days of autumn and just started to play with the frame and my camera-substitue.

I took the frame home, it accompanied me to an ice hockey game and when I went for a walk. Every now and then I took the frame out of my pocket and placed it between the camera and the motif to create a 2nd dimension and to put a focus on something inside the picture itself. It’s no rocket science but I realised that my creative mind got hooked on that playing and I again felt more awake.

Although I only put a piece of cardboard between my lense and my motif I started my creative motor and had been able to enjoy my environment from a new point of view. I left my comfort zone and deeply enjoyed it. Nobody ever told that leaving the comfort zone is difficult but to remind yourself of that never marked boundaries isn’t that easy.

Maybe the only thing that is really important within my polaroid frame playing is the fact that you’re able to dress up like a grown-up while you’re still a “kindskopf” who explores his environment.
And because of the fact that Santa is nearly knocking at the door you’re also able to create a christmas frame.

Blu has left the building. Goodbye Berlin

Maybe one of the most photographed graffiti in Berlin is has been this wall by the italian artist Blu. The well-known artist started his graffiti career in the late 90’s and has been very busy since then. In 2008 he did this two-piece mural near Curvystrasse/Schlesische Strasse to engender a dialogue between the dusty differences of East and West-Berlin.

While the character on the left hand side represents the rich West Germany the two characters on the right hand side try to de-mask each other while using their fingers to form a W for West and an E for East. 2Pac and Biggie Smalls send their regards.

Stylistically for Blu the mural ~~impresses~~ impressed just by its size and wonderful simplicity. Additionally to the mural itself Blu’s murals are always accompanied by stop-motion films. The one for his piece near Curvystrasse has hereby been his 1st video. One of my favourite films definitely is Big Bang, Big Boom but that’s another story. Well as time goes by – art belongs to the people and the artist likewise wherefore Blu definitely is allowed to do what ever he wants with his work.

Yesterday evening the italian based artist decided to give his artwork medically assisted suicide before money-grubbing companies tear the building down. During their cleanup they modified the “E” hand and just showed the middle finger now the only thing that is left is a mural of black silhouettes.

Sooner or later the mural would have passed away and therefore I like that the artist himself was able to spend the send-off his mural deserves. Maybe my friends of JBCB should have been able to do that too.

“To every age its art and to art its freedom!”

Me neither Berlin …

Above the clouds …

Über den Wolken muß die Freiheit wohl grenzenlos sein.
Alle Ängste, alle Sorgen, sagt man,
Blieben darunter verborgen und dann
Würde, was uns groß und wichtig erscheint,
Plötzlich nichtig und klein. ¹

The text upstream is the chorus of Reinhard Mey’s “Über den Wolken”. The text is about freedom, joy and the fact that you’ll find them above the clouds because our problems seem to be small and null up there. Although I’m not able to fly often I can state that the artist was right when he wrote the song. Everything is tiny up there, impressive monuments look like an artifical sector of a model railway and the only thing you have to think of is if you take sweet or sour, tomato juice or coke and why the person next to you was able to afford a ticket but no deodorant.

Beside the fact that you’re able to travel by plane from A to Z as fast as by train from A to B traveling by plane puts myself in a special state of mind – a special serenity. My mind nearly keeps me up 24/7 with this stupid idea and that creative boom but when I enter an airplane I feel like joyfuly tipsy. I’m just relaxed. And I’m able to take pictures like the ones in this post. Well and not to forget the miles high aeropress club.

If you maybe own an airline or just want me to test you’re new seat, food or airport just send me a mail I’ll be there.
[Well at least because moving to New York because I have issues with my sleep is no option at the moment and I'm in doubt that this works.]

Reinhard Mey – Über den Wolken ↩