A German balade with Emma, Lucy and friends.
To get into the mood, we started off with a retrospective of graphic designer Anton STANKOWSKI (1906-1998) at the IDZ in Mitte.
Really excellent work, with handmade typography and layouts.
Simple, precise, legible, inspiring.
He did a lot of work for the city of Berlin and later moved to Switzerland where he was a big influence on Swiss graphic design (apparently this was only recognised recently).
Here, having some prime time in his studio.
Back into the crazy city, full of temptations…..
Hanging out at Julia’s very kool studio, where it can be dodgy to be seen in Reebok ;))
Tool installation made with the vynil cutting machine
Drinks at murder coffe shop
Eating loads of lovely sushi 
And lots of cycling, under the rain, the sun and the rainbow….Lot’s of Berliner and hardcore clubbing for some…
Of course record shopping at Hard-Wax…
it’s sooo great, relaxed and friendly…listen to as many records as you want and the staff is really good at recommending stuff.
I’m chuffed with the Substance and Vainqueur remix…the psycho tune by Norman Nodge on MDR and quietpoint on pastamusic….and loads more
Humana 2nd hand-shop in a grand soviet building with the best chandeliers in Berlin….
A ride on the S-bahn to Dalhem to visit the ethnological museum, it’s fantastic…with a really nice Mexican collection and an amazing South Pacific section…and loads of scary masks…
little beeded afro-men carrying uzi, zo schön
mexican monster
armour made with shark teeth and weapon
Then we set-off on the train to Kassel, to visit the DOCUMENTA 12,
the one with the dodgy prison graphic design…
The first evening, we drank some kasseler and had dinner at the Orangerie with a very Louis XIV view, looking forwards to our 2 days visit of the cinquennale.
On the whole, it was a bit heavy and we were feeling rather un-enthusiastic about the heep of socio-political litterary sweaping statements. It was sort of documentary art dealing with subjects that one would rather watch on Arte or read about.
A lot of people in this world are living in extreme conditions, under massive threats and political instability, and as artists they may obviously want to express these conditions and their feelings in their work, however as an average European, I can’t relate directly to most of these extreme conditions. The works shown at the Documenta, mostly address these issues in a very direct way, sometimes as an illustration other times as a document of the situation or problem. As a viewer, because of the litteral aspect of the work, I tended to watch it, thus leaving me outside the subject, and ultimetly feeling rather disconnected.
We were lead from one issue to another: HIV + child death in Africa, pollution, loss of tradition, prostitition in Spain, industrialisation in China, the muslims, the Israeli-Palestinian prob, the environment….and so on, with a sort of historical back-up to help us remember that art has always been concerned with socio-politics and “critical” or at least concerned with it’s time and surroundings.
Thank you I hadn’t realised.
Ines Doujack’s Biopiracy, a really engaging content shown as an installation: an elevated large grass container on woody feet with giant seed packets planted on sticks, on the back of the packet one can read loads of interresting historical and biological facts about the crop; for me it’s the sort of information I would prefer to pick up as a booklet and read at home, in a space and position that allows me to concentrate and assimilate the large amount of text.
I wonder what is the point in labeling this type of work “art” and putting it in an art venue? Does it have to be given such statues to be considered interresting? Or maybe this underlines a lack of spaces and opportunities to raise these topics.
Usually, I managed to cover 3 venues on the first day, which is really fast considering the amount of work, a lot of the stuff exhibited totally sweaping over my head. Of course some aspects were good like the historical pieces scattered through out and the mix of old masters hanging with contemporary works at the schlöss (mostly not good…what the hell was that Brazilian cannibal thing about?).
But here is some stuff that was great for me:
Bela Kolarova’s popper assemblage (1971) and Tanako Atsuko’s dress (1956).
I also liked Mary Kelly and Ray Barrie’s multi-story house, a plexis glass house with feminist sentences cut-out in the plastic, with neon lighting from the inside.
Cosmina Von Bonin’s nice canvas made of scarves and patterned textiles with appliques, but the awkward hanging made them difficult to appreciate.
Zheng Guogu’s industrial car-carpet like wall hangings with embroideredand printed chinese text.
Romuald Hazoumé’s African masks made out of plastic jerry-cans, bottles and found objects.
Luis jacob’s Album III, an archive of associated photos cut-out by the artist from various magazines and shown on laminated A4’s.
The last afternoon in Kassel we got naked at the japanese style thermal baths: lot’s of sauna’s, steam bath, hot – cold – temperate pools, solarium etc…
Later, we drank vodka at the Youth hostel in an attempt to feel less bored.
The next day we managed to kill some time at the Death museum were they have a strange assortiment of paper imitations of daily objects which the Chinese bury their dead with: bus ticket, Panasonie radio, Mcalbaro, cash, credit card, passport and soja sauce, and this beautifull Mexican skeleton costume.
Finally the train back to Berlin….
and Arnaud pops back in to the picture and we eat cake….
